Picking Up the Pieces
by marauderluverz
Summary: Kyoko is enjoying starring in her first drama and her relationship with Ren is going great! But when she discovers a secret that Ren's been hiding, how will she deal with it? Can their relationship survive a secret this big? 4th in my HoMH series.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi! So I'm back with the fourth part to my series. Here's the first chapter. This chapter picks up the same day as the epilogue from Learning to Trust. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! And thanks for reading!**

Chapter 1: A New Member

Yukia Moore sat down in the large ornate office. He was seated on a couch in the middle of the room. As he glanced around, he took in the outrageous décor. There was a large replica of Big Ben in one corner of the room, as well as a British flag hanging on a nearby wall. And he would've had to have been blind to not notice the fact that the man who let him into the office was dressed as a Royal Guard from England.

Suddenly, music began playing loudly through the office. It sounded like the national anthem of England. Moments later, a tall man dressed in what seemed to be royal garb marched ceremoniously into the room.

Yukia stood out of respect. He stared uncertainly at the man before him. "Um, sir? Are you the president?" he asked.

Lory Takarada smiled and took his seat in a large throne that was placed nearby. "Good evening, Yukia-san. I am Lory Takarada, president of LME. Please take a seat." He gestured towards the couch again and Yukia sat back down.

The president continued talking. "So, from what I've heard you are looking to transfer to our agency while you are in Japan. Is that correct?"

Yukia nodded. "Yes! I mean, I've been offered some more jobs while here and I think I'd like to stay in Japan for a while. It will give me a chance to explore my heritage, and I'd like to have an agency nearby that can offer assistance should I need it."

The president looked thoughtful. "Do you have a manager here with you, Yukia-san?"

The teenager nodded. "Yes, sir. I have my manager James to take care of me."

Lory regarded Yukia with a gleam in his eye. Finally he nodded and held out his hand. The man in the guard uniform appeared and handed him a notepad and pen. He quickly scrawled something down. Then handed Yukia the piece of paper.

"This is the office number where you'll go tomorrow morning. I'll make sure that everything you'll need will be there for you." He said, and Yukia noticed that the older man was smiling at him strangely.

 _Kyoko-chan was right. He is weird._ He thought to himself as he walked out of the office. He glanced down at the paper in his hand. "Well, I hope tomorrow will be a little more normal."

The next morning, Kyoko's eyes blinked open as the sun crept in through the window. She looked up and saw Ren's face just inches from her own. She realized his arms were wrapped around her, and she blushed. _That's right. I guess this is my first morning with us living together._ She reminded herself.

She stared at Ren's peaceful sleeping face and reached up to caress his face. She stroked his cheek gently. "You're so beautiful when you're sleeping…" she whispered.

Ren began to stir. He blinked his eyes and stared down at her in surprise. Then a smile appeared on his face as he remembered why she was there. He buried his face in her neck and Kyoko let out a cry. She pushed him away.

"Ren, that tickles!" she told him, as she tried to get him to let her go.

He laughed but relinquished his grip on her. "It's nice to wake up in bed with you." He said, causing Kyoko's face to blush.

She threw off the blanket, and climbed out of bed. "You shouldn't say it like that." She scolded. "It sounds like you mean something else."

He smiled as he noticed that she was refusing to look at him. "Really?" he asked, feigning innocence. "And what does it sound like I mean?"

Kyoko spun around. She grabbed a pillow off the bed and threw it at him. "Stop teasing." She told him before she huffed away to the closet to search for her clothes for the day.

She could hear Ren laughing in the bedroom just a few feet away. Truthfully, she was grateful that he was so respectful of her rules. She had already set clear lines about what sort of physical activities were not allowed, and Ren had readily accepted her conditions.

"He really is special." She muttered as she pulled out a pair of jeans and a short sleeved shirt.

"I know I am." A voice said in the doorway.

She sent a glare back at her boyfriend. "You shouldn't eavesdrop. It's rude."

Kyoko turned and moved to leave the walk-in closet. But Ren didn't move away. He leaned his face closer to hers. "And it's also rude to throw a pillow at someone's face. But that didn't stop you." He moved to kiss her lips but she ducked and before he realized it she was out of the closet and bedroom.

He looked around him, then heard the bathroom door shut down the hall. "That's right. That was another rule, she has to brush her teeth before any kisses." He reminded himself, chuckling at her behavior.

Ren had thought he had learned everything there was to know about his girlfriend in the months they had been dating, and years they'd known each other. "I guess, I'll always have surprises."

An hour later, the pair was seated at the small kitchen table to eat breakfast. Kyoko's phone buzzed and she looked at it.

"What is it?" Ren asked in between sips of coffee.

Kyoko read her message, then took a moment to type a reply. "It's Yukia-kun. He said he needs to talk to me." She looked concerned before glancing up at Ren. "Do you think you can drop me off at the agency when you go into work?"

Ren nodded. "Of course. Do you think everything's okay with Yukia-kun?"

"I'm not sure. But I guess I'll find out when I see him." She tilted her head to the side as she looked at Ren. "Oh, that's right. You have your meeting with the director today."

"Yes, I'm interested to learn what kind of part it will be." Ren stood and put his plate in the sink. "We should head out in a few minutes." He told Kyoko as he passed her.

She nodded and took her plate to the sink too, before heading to grab her bag for work.

When they arrived at LME, Ren, Kyoko , and Yashiro headed inside. They walked together towards the LoveMe section since that was where Yukia had offered to meet Kyoko. When they reached the hall the LoveMe section office was in they all stopped.

Kyoko stared wide-eyed at the sight before her. There stood Yukia talking to James. Except, Yukia was wearing a hot pink uniform. It wasn't the typical jumpsuit that Kyoko had worn, in fact it was styled more like the one the president had worn when he had come to spy on the Heel siblings.

James pointed towards where Kyoko, Ren, and Yashiro were standing and Yukia turned around. He looked relieved to see his friend.

"Kyoko-chan!" he called and she quickly moved towards him.

"What is this? Why?" she struggled to ask.

Yukia hung his head. "I have no idea. I talked to the President last night and he gave me the office number for the LoveMe section." He sighed, and a cloud of gloom surrounded him. "At first I thought it was a mistake, but I have a locker in there, and this uniform was inside as well." He gestured to the clothes he was wearing. "Why is it hot pink?" he asked her seriously.

Kyoko shifted automatically into her LoveMe representative mode. "But don't you see how lovely it is. And it's got the logo here," she pointed to the emblem on the left side of the chest. "And here." She pointed to the back. "It looks really good on you too!"

Behind them, Kyoko heard Ren snort. She glared back at him with a glare to rival Mio's. "Don't you have work to get to?" she hissed.

Ren held up his hands in surrender. "Okay. You're right. I'll see you tonight." He walked away with a smirk on his face.

Yashiro shot an apologetic look back towards Kyoko and Yukia before following his charge.

Kyoko returned her focus to her friend in front of her. "Ignore him." Her face softened. "And besides, it really does look good on you. Right, James-san?"

James looked startled at being pulled into the conversation. He forced a smile on his face. "Yes, it looks," he paused, searching for the right words. "Really, um, cute?" he offered.

Yukia's face blushed. He sighed. "Do I really have to wear this?"

Kyoko nodded, "Unfortunately, yes. You'll have to wear it when doing LoveMe assignments."

"And who's going to explain all of this LoveMe section stuff to me?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, up till now it's been Sawara-san, or the President. But I guess…" she looked back at him, her eyes sparkling. "The president made me the mentor for the LoveMe section when I graduated from it. So I guess, I'm supposed to help you."

Some of the tension disappeared from Yukia's shoulders. Kyoko grabbed his hand. "Did you want to have some tea? We can talk."

Yukia nodded. Then Kyoko looked at James. "Did you want to join us, James-san?"

James shook his head. "Actually, I need to take care of responding to some of these offers that Yukia's received."

They bid goodbye to James, and Yukia and Kyoko made their way into the LoveMe section office. Yukia sat down at the table while Kyoko prepared the tea.

"James-san's Japanese is really improving." She said, trying to calm her co-star with small talk.

He nodded, "Yeah, he's been working really hard ever since I mentioned wanting to stay here."

Kyoko spun around. "That's right. Have you found a place to stay while you're here?"

Yukia shook his head. "Yes, we actually just moved in last week."

Kyoko nodded and brought two cups of tea over to the table. "That's great."

Yukia smiled, "And even better, it's really close by."

She sat down opposite Yukia. He looked at her expectantly. "So what all do I need to know about the LoveMe section?"

She tapped her forehead in thought. "Where to start…Ah! I know. I already told you some of how the LoveMe section came to be, but not the whole story. Well, when I came to LME I had only one goal in mind. And that was to get revenge on my childhood ex-friend, Sho Fuwa."

Yukia nodded as he listened to her story. Kyoko told him about her audition and how she had failed it, and about having lost the important emotion of love. She continued by telling him about her quest to get it back and how that had eventually led her to Ren.

She told him of the accident that had occurred and how they had wound up together, but then she had still been forced to stay in the LoveMe section.

"Maybe that's why." She said, more to herself than to him.

Yukia raised an eyebrow. "Why what?"

"Maybe that's why the President put you in the LoveMe section. You see, he didn't let me graduate from it until I had accepted being in love and decided to embrace it without trying to hide it from everybody." She explained.

"But the president doesn't know about my secret."

Kyoko shook her head, "He knows everything. He knew that I had fallen in love with Ren just by looking at me."

Yukia hung his head. "Great. So now he knows. And that's why I'm forced to wear this."

"I wish there was something I could do- Wait!" she exclaimed suddenly.

Yukia stared in surprise as Kyoko jumped up and grabbed her bag. She suggested through it until she pulled out a small fabric pouch.

"What's that?" Yukia asked.

She smiles at him. "This, this is my secret treasure. It can take away sadness." She held out a hand to him. "We need to go outside so I can show you."

Yukia took her hand and followed her as she led him outside to a small pathway in the inner part of LME. They stood together in the sunlight, a cool breeze ruffling their hair.

"Here," Kyoko said, handing him the blue-purple stone. "You have to hold it up, like this." She held her hand into the air and Yukia followed her actions.

"Woah!" he exclaimed. "It was blue, but it changed to yellow."

Kyoko nodded eagerly. "Yes! That's the magic. This stone takes away all of your sadness."

Yukia looked down at the stone he held in his hand. He squeezed it tightly. "Thank you, Kyoko-chan. I really do feel better." A look crossed his face. "But, wait, how did you come to have something magical?"

Kyoko blushed, and looked down as she dug her toes into the dirt. "Well, I got it from a boy. A boy I knew when I was a child." She glanced at Yukia. "Don't laugh, but he was a fairy."

She closed her eyes, waiting to hear him laugh like how Ren had. She was sure no one her age believed in fairies.

Suddenly, Yukia grabbed her shoulder. She looked up to see him looking at her very seriously. "Kyoko-chan, do you mean to tell me that you have actually met a real fairy?"

Kyoko smiled, _He believes me!_ She nodded. "Yes! His name is Corn. And he's the prince of the fairies!"

Yukia's eyes widened. "I remember when I was a child my mom used to tell me stories about fairies. But when I went to school the other kids told me there was no such thing." He sighed, then smiled at her. "I had always hoped to find someone else who believed in them. And now I find out you've actually met one." He hugged Kyoko.

When he pulled away, he looked down sheepishly. "Will you tell me about him? Your fairy friend."

Ren and Yashiro had just arrived at their afternoon meeting with Director Sayushi, the director of Kyoko's drama Keishi.

Ren bowed when they entered the conference room. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Director."

The director bowed in return. "Thank you for meeting me, Tsuruga-san."

They all sat down at the table.

"Now, I'll start by telling you that the role I'm offering you is going to be the final antagonist for the two main characters. But I thought that since you and Kyoko-san have played opposite each other in this kind of scenario before, you'd be best suited."

Ren nodded. "What is the role?" he asked, his curiosity was definitely peaked.

The director smiled, mischievously.

 _Why does this have me feeling nervous?_ Yashiro wondered as he twisted his hands together.

"The character you would play is named Satoshi Ryuu. Satoshi is a wealthy young man who first meets Kimi in episode twenty-three, when she goes during her school vacation to visit her grandmother." He explained.

"Her grandmother tries to encourage a marriage between the two but Kimi is not interested because she's currently dating Leo." He paused, "The twenty-fourth episode won't have Satoshi in it but he'll return for the two-part finale when he comes to Kimi's school to try and convince her to marry him."

Yashiro stared at the director. _Just what kind of role is he trying to have Ren play?_

"Satoshi is not a nice guy. He's a jerk and I need the audience to hate him. Do you think you can pull it off, Tsuruga-san?"

 _Please say no, please say no._ Yashiro chanted in his head.

Ren smiled. "It sounds fun. I accept."

Kyoko lay on her stomach on the king size bed in her and Ren's bedroom. She was reading through some of the upcoming scripts and daydreaming about her conversation with Yukia. _I can't believe I finally found someone else who believes so truly like me. If I ever see Corn again, I need to introduce him to Yukia-kun._

Ren glanced across the bed at his girlfriend. He was sitting on his side of the bed leaning back with his head propped up so he could read through the scripts he had received for Keishi.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked finally.

Kyoko jumped and let out a strange cry.

Ren laughed. "Did you forget I was here?"

Kyoko sat up onto her knees. "No, I was just in such deep thought that your voice scared me."

He laughed again, then reached out and stroked her cheek. A light blush covered her face, but she didn't pull away. "How did your meeting with the director go?" she asked.

Ren smiled. "It went very well. I'm looking forward to acting opposite you again. It's been a while."

Kyoko blushed darker at his words. _He's looking forward to acting with me again? Shouldn't I be the one to say that?_

"Except this time I get to play the villain." He said, a mischievous grin on his face.

Kyoko looked at him warily. "So you're playing Satoshi-kun?"

He nodded. "The director thought I'd be good for the part since we've worked together like that before."

"I guess he's right. Besides you don't need much practice to play a guy like that." Kyoko said as she snuggled against Ren's side.

Ren glanced down at her. "A guy like what?"

Kyoko gave him one of her rare flirty looks that he was fairly certain belonged to Setsu. "A playboy."

Ren glared at his girlfriend, before ruffling her hair. He sighed as Kyoko laughed. "And how was your day? Has Yukia-kun recovered from being put in the LoveMe section?"

"Sort of. I mean, I at least think I helped to cheer him up a bit." She answered.

Ren began to twirl a strand of Kyoko's hair around his finger. "And how did you manage to do that?"

"I used Corn."

Ren froze for a moment. He calmed himself before responding. "Oh, you mean the stone that he gave you? The one you had me use before."

She nodded. "I had him use it to take away the sad feelings, and it's magic worked again." She turned to look at Ren and he pulled his hand away from her hair. "And Yukia-kun didn't laugh when I told him about Corn. He believed me." She smiled and Ren could see that her mind had traveled far away. "I found someone else who believes in fairies."

Shortly thereafter, Kyoko drifted off to sleep. She had begun to wonder aloud if Corn would be proud of her now. And if he was doing well.

Ren rolled over in his bed to watch her sleeping form. _Maybe she should see Corn again. One last time._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Act Begins

A week and a half later, It was finally time to begin filming the first episode of Keishi that Ren would be guest starring on. The director had secured a filming location in a nearby beach town for them to spend the next three days filming at. He had also gotten a shuttle bus provided to transport the actors to the location. Kyoko was riding next to Ren on the bus with Yashiro riding behind them, and Yukia and James were seated on the bench in front of them.

Kyoko stared out the window as they drove , entranced by the different sceneries. Yukia turned in his seat to talk to her as the went.

"This is so amazing! It's my first time going anywhere in Japan besides Tokyo." He told her.

Kyoko beamed. "I've only been to a few places for on location filming so I still get excited every time." She turned to Ren. "You've probably been so many places for filming that it doesn't even faze you anymore."

Ren laughed and shook his head. "Just because I've been to a lot of places doesn't make it any less special now."

Yashiro leaned forward resting his elbows on the back of their seat. "Although, this is the first time in a while since I've seen Ren look this happy to go on location for filming." He gave a mischievous smile as he glanced Kyoko's way.

Ren shot his manager a glare, then turned to James. "What about you, James-san? This is your first time to Japan as well, right?"

James nodded. "It is. I'm still trying to get used to how beautiful everything is."

"I'm looking forward to seeing the Manor we'll be filming in." Yukia said. "The director said it's supposed to be huge."

Kyoko's eyes widened as she realized that up until now, any scenes of Kimi's home had only been sets in a studio so the scenes with her grandmother's Manor would be the first time it would feel real. "I'll be like a real rich young lady!" she exclaimed.

She blushed when the others chuckled at her outburst.

"Yes," James agreed, "Just in time for you to refuse all your family's money."

Kyoko scowled. "I guess that's true."

The others all laughed at Kyoko's reaction before continuing the conversation about the upcoming filming. After some time, they each left the conversation to do their own things. Yashiro began to do some paperwork and answer some emails, James and Yukia began to play tic-tac-toe in a notebook that James had brought, and Ren put in some earphones to listen to music while they drove.

Kyoko stared out the window, enjoying the scenery surrounding her. It was still early in the day, since they had left from TBM at 6 AM, and they were due to arrive at the set by eleven.

Suddenly, Ren felt something against his shoulder. He glanced down and saw that Kyoko had her head leaned against his shoulder, her eyes closed. He smiled. _That's right. She could hardly sleep last night because she was so excited about today._ He gently moved his arm out from under her and wrapped it around her, pulling her close as she slept peacefully.

An hour later, the bus pulled up in front of a large hotel. The director stood up to address everyone.

"I'm going to go get us all checked in so you can come see my assistant for your room keys. Go freshen up in your rooms and we'll meet back down here in an hour to head to the Manor we'll be filming at." He said before climbing off the bus.

Everyone else began to exit the bus, but Ren waited until it was mostly empty before waking Kyoko. He gently rubbed her arm.

"Kyoko," he called to her softly, he leaned closer to her ear. "Sweet heart, we're here."

She opened her eyes slowly, "What?" she asked, groggily. She looked around.

"We're at the hotel. The director said we have an hour to freshen up and then meet back here to head to the location." He told her, trying not to laugh at the confused look on her face.

"I-I fell asleep?"

Ren nodded. Kyoko suddenly looked sad.

"I missed seeing what everything looked like when we first got here." She mumbled.

Ren leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "You're so cute. But don't worry. We'll have a bit of time for sight seeing while we are here." He stood and held out his hand to her. "Let's go check out our hotel rooms."

After collecting their room keys from the assistant, Ren and Kyoko went upstairs to their hotel rooms. Kyoko searched for her room as they walked down the hall.

"203, 205, 207… Ah! 209!" she exclaimed when she had found her door. She turned to Ren who was smiling.

"And I'm in 210 so I'm right across from you." He told her. "You go ahead and freshen up and then I'll come get you in a little while."

Kyoko nodded and watched as her boyfriend entered his room. She turned to her own door and slid the key card. She heard the click of the door unlocking and opened the door.

She gasped as she stepped into the room. It was a large room, with a king-sized bed in the middle of the far wall. She noticed that her suitcase was already placed on the bed.

 _The staff must've brought up all the luggage. How nice!_ She thought as she ran her hand across the blankets. "It's so soft! I just want to climb in bed and go to sleep."

She sighed. "But I can't be so unprofessional!" she scolded herself. "What would Ren say?" Kyoko unzipped the main pocket of her suitcase and dug around until she found her miniature Ren doll.

"You're an actress now. How can you still act so unprofessional as to want to slack off when you haven't even begun working? I can't believe I am so unfortunate as to have to guest star on a drama with a newbie like you." Her Ren doll scolded her harshly.

Kyoko smiled. "Thank you, Ren. You always know how to put me in my place." she gave her doll a quick kiss and then glanced at the clock.

"Oh! I'm wasting time. I should get ready."

She hurriedly pulled out a change of clothes and changed out of the outfit she had traveled in. Then stepped into her large bathroom (where she was once again surprised) and washed her face and fixed her hair.

Just as she had finished, there was a knock on her door. She hurried to the door and opened it. Standing in the hallway was a refreshed looking Ren Tsuruga.

"Are you all ready?" he asked her.

Kyoko nodded then grabbed his hand. "I'm ready, but you have to see my room." She pulled him into the room and the door closed behind him.

"Look! They gave me my own room and I have a huge bed, and my bathroom has a tub and a shower! And I even have a balcony!" she moved to pull Ren towards the window, when she felt resistance from him.

She turned to ask him what was wrong and was met with his lips. His hands moved up to caress her face as he kissed her passionately.

After several moments, Kyoko pulled away. "Ren!" she gasped out. "What are you doing?"

He laughed, "I'm trying to kiss my girlfriend."

Kyoko moved away from him. "Now, Ren, you really should be more professional. During this trip we are co-stars… not a couple."

Ren moved closer to her, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Are you sure we can't be both?" he whispered. He leaned down to kiss her again when there was a knock on her door.

"I have to answer that!" Kyoko exclaimed, jumping out of Ren's arms. She hurried to open the door.

"Kyoko-chan, have you seen Ren?" Yashiro asked when she opened the door. Yashiro spotted Ren behind Kyoko and the irritated look on his face. Then saw how red Kyoko's face was. "Ren!" he exclaimed, a look of shock on his face.

Ren sighed, stepping forward. "I didn't do anything for you to be so shocked." He told his manager. He turned back to Kyoko and held out his hand. "Are you ready to go down to the bus then?"

Kyoko nodded. "Yes, let me grab my bag."

When they made it back to the bus they found Yukia and James already waiting for them. Yukia waved to Kyoko.

"How was your room?" he asked her as they all boarded the bus.

"It's amazing!" she exclaimed. "The bath is the biggest one I've seen for a single room before. And I have a balcony."

Yukia smiled. "The rooms are really nice. We are lucky they were able to get us such nice rooms."

Once the director boarded the bus, lunches were handed out and then the drive began. It was a thirty minutes drive to the filming location, but Kyoko thought it was worth the wait when she saw the Manor they would be filming in.

The house was huge. With majestic white walls, and a large front porch. Ivy climbed the sides of the house, and Kyoko could already picture herself living there. She gazed longingly at the house. Ren leaned close to her ear, "Do you want a home like that someday?" he whispered.

Kyoko jumped, but shook her head. "No, it's far too big for just me."

Ren was surprised at her response. "Just you?" he asked, forcing himself to hide the hurt in his voice. "And what about me?"

Kyoko's face tinged red, "I-I just didn't want to assume-"

She was interrupted by Ren staring seriously into her eyes. "Kyoko, I will never leave you. I will be here for you until the day you say you don't want me."

Kyoko's eyes flicked downwards before returning his gaze. "I would never tell you that." She replied softly.

Satisfied with her answer, Ren let the conversation end. They followed everyone else off the bus and soon they were each whisked away in separate directions for hair and make up as the crew set up the equipment.

Kyoko was changed into a frilly dress that she felt fit perfectly for a rich young lady. She spun around in it watching the way the skirt flared out around her. Currently, she was standing in the living room of the Manor where the first scene would be filmed between her and Ren.

The director entered with an older lady who he introduced as the actress who would be playing Kimi-chan's grandmother.

Kyoko bowed, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miyaki-san. Please take care of me."

The actress bowed her head to the young woman before her. "I've heard wonderful things about your acting, Kyoko-san. I look forward to working with you as well."

Just then, there was the sound of movement on the porch outside the front door. They looked towards the door and saw Ren enter. He was dressed in an all black suit with a gray tie as the only accent. But there was something different about this suit from the ones he normally wore.

Kyoko found herself staring at the man before her, _it's a good thing I'm seeing him like this before we begin otherwise I would've forgotten all my lines._

"Tsuruga-san, you look so handsome," Miyaki-san greeted him.

Ren gave a small bowl as thanks. Then his eyes found Kyoko. Her dress was long and flowy with many layers to its pale purple fabric. He was excited to see her in this character, but even more excited to be working with her again.

As the director began ensuring all cameras were in place, Ren took the opportunity to move closer to Kyoko. "You look lovely." He told her.

She blushed. "Thank you, you look very nice yourself."

Ren chuckled at her suddenly shy attitude.

"But be prepared," she warned him, "I'm not going to like you at all in just a few minutes."

Ren smiled at her, a glint in his eye. "Oh, really now?" he raised his eyebrows at her.

The director called for them before she could respond and walked them through their cues and places.

"Action!"

Kimi sat on a chair in her grandmother's living room. She was completely bored and hated that she had to spend her week off of school with her grandmother. In the past it hadn't been so bad, but now that she had changed her attitude about money, she only wanted to be back home hanging out with her boyfriend.

However, since her grandmother was in control of the family, Kimi had no choice.

"Kimi, are you even listening to me?" her grandmother asked, setting down her cup of tea on the table before her.

Kimi looked up, and smiled at her grandmother, struggling to hide her boredom. "Yes, Grandmother. I was just enjoying the tea."

Her grandmother nodded and continued her berating of the local families she knew who had allowed their children to marry commoners.

"You'll marry someone proper, won't you dear?" she asked.

Kimi grimaced. "Yes, of course I will."

Her grandmother looked pleased with her answer.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. She watched as her grandmother called for a servant to answer the door. A few moments passed in silence before they heard footsteps coming down the hall.

A servant stepped into the room followed by a tall, well-dressed young man.

"Ryuu-san, welcome!" Kimi's grandmother greeted him warmly. He gave a small glance towards Kimi before approaching the chair where her grandmother sat. He bowed in greeting and kissed her hand.

Kimi watched in confusion. Who was he? This stranger who had suddenly interrupted them.

"Kimi, stand and greet our guest." Her grandmother chided her.

Kimi stood quickly, and curtsied.

"This is my granddaughter, Kimi." Her grandmother said, "And this is Satoshi Ryuu. The man I have picked for you to marry."

 **A/N: I hope you all enjoyed chapter 2! Thank you for reading! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Perfect Plan

" _And this is Satoshi Ryuu. The man I have picked for you to marry."_

Kimi stared at the man in front of her. She watched as he gave her an eerie look that said he was checking her out. But it was gone a moment later, when he bowed to her and took her hand to kiss it.

She pulled her hand back quickly before speaking. "I apologize, but my grandmother is mistaken. I do not intend to have an arranged marriage."

"Kimi!" she heard her grandmother's stern voice. "Do not tell me you intend to marry that common boy your parents mentioned."

Kimi opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Satoshi.

"Excuse me, Kimi-chan. If you would please just allow me to take you out while you're here. Should you decide you still are not interested by your leave, things will end there."

Kimi sighed, but nodded. She knew if she defied her grandmother completely, her family could be cut off from their fortune.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to go lie down. I'm afraid the heat is getting to me." She said before turning to leave.

As she walked away, she did not see the sinister look that crossed Satoshi's face.

"Cut!" the director called. "Great job! We are going to make some lighting and camera adjustments and then we'll do it once more."

Kyoko gave a relieved sigh as she stepped off the set to get a drink of water. As much as she loved her fancy dress, she was not accustomed to the many layers it forced her to wear.

"That was a great scene," Yukia complemented as he approached his co-star.

Kyoko gave a half-smile. "I'm not sure I captured everything right. I felt like Kimi-chan was still a little far from me. It must be the new surroundings and my nerves from working with Ren."

Yukia nodded. "That's right, you haven't worked closely with him since you were in Dark Moon together, right?"

"Yes," she answered, _although we did work as the Heel siblings it wasn't quite the same thing._

Ren approached the pair and smiled at Kyoko. "That was very good acting." He told her.

"Thank you," she said, "But you don't have to lie to me. I know I wasn't doing as well as I've done before."

Ren patted her head. "I have no reason to lie to you about your acting."

Kyoko smiled slightly, and Ren noticed her whole frame relax.

"All right!" the director called over to them. "We're set. Let's start again."

Several hours later, they wrapped up just as the sun was beginning to set.

"Thank you for all your hard work so far today." The director said happily. "We'll break for dinner and meet back here in two hours to film some of the night scenes. The bus will be available to take you back to the hotel should you want to rest there, otherwise there are plenty of nice shops and restaurants nearby."

The cast and crew broke apart into groups as every one discussed where they would go during the break.

Kyoko quickly called over Ren and Yashiro, as well as Yukia and James.

"Should we all have dinner together?" she suggested.

Yukia smiled. "That sounds good to us," he paused, glancing towards Ren. "Unless your boyfriend was wanting to go to dinner with just you."

Ren held up a hand. "No, I think it would be nice to all go together. We could walk down by the shops nearby and see what restaurants there are."

They all agreed and headed down the street. During dinner they discussed the filming as well as the shops they had passed just a few minutes before. Kyoko was surprised to learn that Yashiro had a room adjoining Ren's in the hotel, and Yukia and James' rooms were just down the hall from Kyoko's.

After they finished dinner, Yashiro opted to head back to the set and ensure that Ren and Kyoko's things would be ready for them. Yukia had wanted to go look in some of the shops so he and James had walked away, leaving Ren and Kyoko standing outside of the restaurant.

Ren turned to Kyoko, "Would you like to go for a walk on the beach?" he asked her.

Kyoko nodded and took ahold of his hand. "That sounds fun!"

He lead them down the street until they reached a pathway that led to the nearby beach. Once they reached the sand they each slipped off their shoes and carried them.

"This is so nice," Kyoko said softly as she watched the waves lap the shore.

Ren nodded, "You look beautiful in the moonlight."

Even in their darkening surroundings, Ren could see the blush on her cheeks.

Kyoko turned to Ren, "I'm really glad that I get to be here with you."

"Me too," he told her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Kyoko stared at the water. "Can I put my feet in?" she asked him.

Ren nodded and released her hand. "Here, I can hold your sandals for you." She handed them to him before stepping forward into the water.

She loved the cool feeling of the water against her feet. Ren stepped closer to Kyoko, making sure to stay out of the water. He found the whole scene enchanting. The girl he loved, standing just at the water's edge with the moonlight washing over her.

"It reminds me of Guam."

Ren was startled by Kyoko's voice. "Yeah, I guess it is similar."

Kyoko continued speaking as she stared out at the water. "This is like the kind of place I found Corn before. I had been looking at the ocean, thinking it must be the type of place where a mermaid could suddenly appear, and then there he was. He was so magical."

 _Maybe… maybe I should just tell her…_ Ren wondered, but his thoughts were interrupted by a musical sound coming from Kyoko's purse.

"Oh! That's my alarm." She dug through her purse and pulled out her phone to turn it off. She looked at Ren sadly. "I guess that means we have to head back."

Ren nodded, _I guess I missed my chance. But it's okay, it's better to just let things be._

He looked over at Kyoko, who seemed to be stuck by the water trying to decide what to do. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I just realized that my feet are still wet, so if I walk through the sand, I'll get my feet covered in sand." She smacked her fists onto either side of her head. "I'm so foolish. I didn't even think about it."

Ren chuckled, before stepping close to her. He held out the shoes to her. "Here. Hold these."

Kyoko took them, looking uncertain. Then let out a startled cry, as Ren scooped her into his arms. He began to carry her across the sand, and Kyoko stared away from him in embarrassment. "You didn't have to-"

Ren laughed, "Don't worry, sweet heart." He told her before kissing her on the cheek. "I really don't mind."

That night, Ren lay on his bed staring at the schedule for the next day. _Since tomorrow is the only full day we'll be here, I'll have to put my plan into action then._ He went over the day in his head.

"Breakfast at seven, then filming until twelve, then we take a break for lunch and are free for a couple more hours. I should be able to sneak away then." He muttered to himself.

He was nervous. This whole plan was tricky, and if even one thing went wrong… he shivered at the thought of how angry Kyoko might be.

The next morning, Ren woke up to a knocking on his hotel room door. It had startled him to not have Kyoko in bed next to him, until he remembered they were on location filming.

 _Knock knock!_

There was that annoying knocking again. He climbed out of bed and moved towards the main door of his room, only to realize the sound wasn't coming from the hall. It was instead coming from the door that connected his manager's room to his own.

He opened the door, trying to force his face into something presentable. On the other side of the door stood Yashiro.

"Good morning, Ren- Ah, did I wake you up? I thought for sure you'd be awake already." He said quickly as he stepped into Ren's room.

Ren closed the door behind him. _Yes, come right in._ He thought sarcastically. Aloud he said, "What time is it?"

Yashiro saw the messy bed and realized his suspicions were right. "Ren, it's 6:47. We are supposed to meet Kyoko-chan in the hall at seven."

 _Crap._ Ren scratched the back of his head. "I guess I forgot to turn on my alarm."

In truth, he'd gotten rather used to Kyoko setting alarms for both of them to wake up most mornings. Even on days when he had to leave earlier than her, she would get up with him to make him breakfast.

"Well, I'll let you get ready then. We can go over your schedule during breakfast." Yashiro said as he moved back towards the connecting door.

Ren nodded, and after he heard the click of the door closing he rushed to get dressed. Today was certainly not the day for him to be distracted. One little mistake would mess up everything.

He finished getting ready just as his clock changed to read 7:00. He hurried into the hall and found Kyoko chatting happily with Yashiro.

Kyoko smiled when she saw Ren. "I was beginning to get worried. Yashiro-san said you overslept."

Ren smiled a bright smile. "Oh, he did, did he?"

Kyoko laughed. "Ren, don't get so upset about it. I would've found out even if he hadn't told me." She grabbed his hand and began to pull him down the hall. "Let's head down. I told Yukia-kun for them not to wait for us."

Ren followed her and they soon found themselves gathered with their other friends at a table in the hotel's restaurant.

"Kyoko," Ren said as he touched her arm to get her attention. He was speaking quietly so that the others wouldn't hear.

She nodded. "Yes?"

"I'm going to have to do a phone meeting during the lunch break today, so I won't be able to be with you. I'll probably be in my hotel room the entire time." He told her, hoping she wouldn't doubt him and ask Yashiro.

Instead he just saw a sad look in her eyes before she hid it with her smile. "Okay, Ren. I hope it all goes well."

He nodded his thanks. "I hope you'll go exploring while I'm busy. Maybe you can find someplace interesting to tell me about." He leaned closer to her ear and whispered. "Maybe you'll even manage to find Corn."

Kyoko looked at him, her eyes wide with excitement until she saw the twinkle in his eye. Her face changed to a frown. "You shouldn't tease me like that, Ren. I'll get my hopes up and then I'll be too depressed to continue filming when he doesn't come."

Ren only smiled. If he said anything more he'd give himself away.

When they finally finished filming to break for lunch, Kyoko searched for Ren but only found Yashiro.

"Yashiro-san, excuse me. But did Ren already go back to his room?" she asked.

Yashiro looked surprised. "Yes, he did. Didn't he come let you know?"

Kyoko shook her head trying not to feel bad. "No, I guess he was just busy though. Well, thank you." She turned and walked over to the lunch table where Yukia and James were seated.

"Everything okay, Kyoko-chan?" James asked her as he handed her a box lunch.

Kyoko sighed. "I'm just kind of bummed because Ren had work to do during our break so I won't get to spend time with him."

Yukia met James' eyes and the manager gave him a slight nod.

"You could spend the break with us, Kyoko-chan. We were just going to walk around some more of the shops." Yukia offered.

"Oh, no! I couldn't intrude on your time together." She said suddenly. "I'll be fine. I just felt like moping a little bit. But really, I'm fine. I'll probably go exploring nearby."

The two men shared another uncertain look before continuing their meals. When they had all finished Kyoko stood.

"Well, you two have fun! I'll meet you back here at three." She said as she collected her bag and began to walk away.

Yukia waved. "Make sure you set your alarm so you don't get too distracted, Kyoko-chan!" he called after her.

She waved to show she had heard him and then stepped off down a path that led to the beach. She stayed on the path until it ended near an area filled with trees.

 _There's a forest here too?_ She wondered. She pushed her way through the trees and was delighted when she saw a clearing that opened up on a secluded shore. She settled herself to sit on a large rock near the water.

"It's so beautiful." She breathed the words. "I wonder if this is how things look in the fairy world."

She spent several minutes staring out at the water before getting up and searching for some flat smooth rocks. Once she had collected a handful she began to throw them one at a time across the water. She watched as they skipped, albeit roughly due to being out of practice.

 _That's right,_ she thought as her mind filled with memories. _Corn was the one who taught me how to skip rocks. He could make it go really far._

 _Splash!_

She looked up as she heard the sound of something hit the water. She found herself staring as she watched a rock skip far out towards the horizon, before turning to see who had thrown it.

Her whole body froze at what she saw. Standing there, just past the trees, with sunlight dancing across his hair was…

"Corn!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: An Anticipated Reunion

As soon as the director had said they were free for lunch, Ren had hurried away. Stopping only long enough to tell Yashiro where he was heading. Once he got to his room, he dug through his suitcase and pulled out a shopping bag. He emptied the contents onto his bed: a brand new shirt and pants, and a couple of bottles of very expensive foreign hair dye.

He picked up a bottle that was marked blond. He examined the instructions. "This better work, considering how much it cost me."

He was anxious about trying to dye his hair blonde himself, but there had been no way for him to get help from Jelly Woods for personal matters. So it was all up to him.

He changed into an old tee shirt and moved to the sink to wet his hair. Once it was wet enough he massaged the dye into his scalp, being sure to wear gloves to avoid damaging his hands.

"Now, I have to wait thirty minutes for it to set." He sighed. Thirty minutes felt like forever when he only had three hours. He carefully placed a shower cap over his hair before moving to continue his preparations. He removed his brown contacts and stared at himself in the mirror. It felt strange to see himself with green eyes again after so long.

After thirty minutes had passed he put on another pair of gloves and returned to the sink to rinse out his hair. After several minutes of rinsing, he looked up to see his handiwork.

"Woah," he gasped out. He certainly didn't look like Ren Tsuruga any longer. Now he was Kuon Hizuri.

He quickly dried his hair and dressed into his "Corn" clothes. He knew he couldn't chance Kyoko recognizing any of his own clothes, so he had gone out the day before they left to buy a new outfit. He gave himself a last once over in the mirror before heading out of his hotel room.

Corn was cautious when leaving the hotel, even taking the stairs to avoid running into anyone who might have recognized him. He didn't stop to breathe until he had reached the beach.

"Now to find Kyoko."

He wandered across the beach, ignoring any staring women, as he searched for where Kyoko would've gone. He had told her to explore, hoping she would find somewhere secluded for them to talk. Finally he found a spot where the beach was interrupted by sudden trees. He moved through the trees comfortably until he came to a clearing.

There through the trees he saw Kyoko. He watched her walk up and down the shoreline bending down every few feet to pick something up. _What is she doing?_ He wondered.

He saw her turn back towards the water and draw her arm back before releasing it. He couldn't see what she had thrown but he heard the sound of a rock skipping on the water. He smiled.

Corn remembered a time, twelve years ago, when he had taught a small girl how to skip rocks on a lake in Kyoto. He leaned down and picked up a smooth rock before quietly stepping forward near the water. He aimed carefully, and then threw the stone. He watched as it skipped smoothly across the water's surface.

Near him he heard a gasp.

"Corn!"

He turned and saw Kyoko staring at him with her hands over her mouth, the rocks she had gathered lay forgotten by her feet.

She took a tentative step towards her friend. "Corn? Is it really you?" she asked.

He smiled at her gently before stepping forward to her. He opened his mouth to speak, then remembered what he had done in Guam. He gestured to his mouth then towards her.

Kyoko's eyes lit up and she nodded. She closed her eyes without being told. He reached out his hand and touched her head, then snapped his fingers.

Kyoko opened her eyes and stared at him expectantly.

"Hello, Kyoko-chan," he told her, _using_ Ren's voice.

Kyoko threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "Corn, you came back!"

He laughed as she pulled away, still smiling. Then a curious look crossed his face. He followed it with a look of realization.

Kyoko watched him, unsure of what he was thinking. "What is it?"

"Oh," he looked at her as if surprised, "I had just been wondering why it is that Kyoko-chan didn't mind me borrowing this voice again this time. But then I saw it. You don't mind because now you are dating Tsuruga-san."

Kyoko's face lit up a dark red. "Umm… yes. That is… he's my boyfriend now." She stared at her feet for a moment before looking back up suddenly. "Corn! You ruined my surprise!"

He leaned back, startled. "A surprise?"

She nodded earnestly. "I had been looking forward to seeing Corn again so I could tell you all about it." She stuck out her lip in a pout and Corn almost forgot who he was and reached out to embrace her.

 _Can't do that… dammit._ Instead he looked at her with sad eyes. "Kyoko-chan, please don't be angry. I only saw a little. I still want to hear everything from you."

Kyoko glanced at him, her pout faltering. Finally a smile broke through. "I can't stay mad at Corn. Especially since I've waited almost a year to see you again."

He instantly felt guilty. It was true. He had kept her waiting for nearly a year, but to be fair a lot had happened. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be gone so long. Time feels a little different in the fairy world."

Kyoko grabbed his hand and rubbed it gently. She smiled up at him in a way that made his heart melt. "Well, I have a ton of stuff to tell you about. How about we sit over here and talk." She led him to the rock she had been sitting on before and they sat together as she began to talk.

She told him about all that happened when she had returned from Guam. About seeing her mother (being careful to leave out the embarrassing event of her mistaking Ren for Corn), about the accident that had occurred just a few months later, the events that had led to her relationship with Ren, and finally the drama she had just been working on recently.

"And I have this wonderful co-star, Yukia-kun. He's very sweet and tries to take care of me. And I told him about you, Corn. And he believed me! He believes in fairies!" she shouted excitedly.

Corn chuckled at her outburst.

Kyoko jumped up and grabbed his hand beginning to pull him up from where he sat.

"What's going on, Kyoko-chan?" he asked her.

She turned back to him. "I swore to myself that if I saw you again I'd introduce you to Yukia-kun. And here you are, and it worked out because he's here too." She continued walking, leading him after her.

 _Dammit, if Yukia-kun sees me he'll recognize me. And if he doesn't surely James-san would._

He pulled back, forcing Kyoko to a stop. She turned and looked at him, her eyes filled with confusion.

"What's wrong, Corn?" she asked, and he could hear the concern in her voice.

"Look, Kyoko-chan. I came here for a reason. It wasn't just by chance that I found you. I used my magic in the fairy world because I needed to talk to you about something." He took a breath, worried how she would react. A million different scenarios played out in his head at once and none of them were good. He felt the fear rising in his throat.

"I- This is the last time I'll be able to come see you." He blurted out.

Kyoko stared at him in shock. "Wh-what do you mean?" he could hear the crack of hurt in her voice.

He sighed. "I can't come to the human world anymore. My father now needs my help ruling the fairy kingdom since you were able to break my curse. But when I am ruling, I cannot leave for any reason."

He watched her face to see her reaction. Her eyes dropped, she stared at her feet. "But…" she swallowed hard, then looked up at him. "I'll miss you."

He could feel his heart breaking as he looked at her. A tear rolled down her face and he reached up and gently wiped it away. "But you see, Kyoko-chan, you don't need me anymore. You'll be fine without me." He smiled down at her sweetly. "You have found so many people who love you. I'm trusting them to watch over you."

A few more tears escaped her eyes, but then Kyoko forced her tears away. Corn was right. She had found everything she desperately needed before. _And if he says everything will be all right, it will be._

Kyoko reached up and grabbed his hand that had been against her face. "If this is the last time I'll see you, then there's something I want to do." Her face was serious and it made Corn concerned for what she was planning.

She began to lead him back towards the main beach and then up a pathway towards some shops. Now he was nervous…what if someone they knew saw them? Luckily, Kyoko stopped rather quickly.

Right outside of a photo booth.

"Wha-?"

"I'm worried that when Corn returns to the fairy world, he'll forget about me. This machine," she gestured to the photo booth, "Can take pictures of us that I can give to you."

Corn was touched by the gesture. "Okay, Kyoko-chan. That sounds like fun." He gave her a small smile. And they climbed into the photo booth.

* * *

Yashiro was just exiting a small café along the beach shops when he saw Kyoko-chan. He had been going to call out to her, when he'd noticed who she was with.

 _That looked like Ren… but he had blond hair so it couldn't be. But then who was he? And why was Kyoko alone with this guy?_

* * *

After taking several different pictures, the pair exited the booth and Kyoko picked up the picture sheet it had dispensed. She smiled at the sight of her and Corn smiling into the camera. She then held it out to him.

"Here you go. Now you can keep these and always remember me." She gave him a sad smile.

He pulled her into a tight hug. "I could never forget you, Kyoko-chan." He whispered into her hair. He pulled away slowly after a minute, if his internal clock was right he only had about half an hour left and he would need that time to become Ren Tsuruga again.

"Kyoko-chan, I have to be going now. My father is summoning me home." He told her solemnly. "I'll always love you." He told her before kissing her forehead.

Kyoko nodded. "I'll always love you too, Corn." She choked out, struggling to hold back her tears. She couldn't let Corn see her cry again, not when he was leaving.

This time there was no balcony to jump off of. He thought quickly about how to make his exit. "I have to return to the forest, since that's where I came through into this world." He gave her another smile and a quick hug, before walking away towards the forest.

Kyoko stood silently, watching him leave her for the last time. As soon as he was out of her sight, she collapsed to the ground in tears.

It took all of Ren's self-control to not turn around and comfort Kyoko. He knew she must be crying by now but things were better this way. She got her closure with Corn, and he didn't have the guilt of ruining her childhood fantasies. Besides, now she had him to comfort her.

He hurried back to the hotel, taking the long way to make sure to avoid anybody who might recognize him. Finally, he made it back to the hotel, and climbed the stairs two at a time in a rush back to his room.

He opened the door from the stairway and peaked into the hallway, making sure the hall was clear before venturing into it. He crept silently through the hall until he reached his door. Ren pulled out his keycard he had kept in his back pocket and slipped it into the lock. It clicked and he pushed the door open. He walked through the door, the excitement of being Corn had faded and now he just felt exhausted.

As he stepped into the main area of his room he froze.

"Hello, Ren," Yashiro greeted him. "Would you like to explain this all to me? Or should I ask Kyoko-chan?"

 **A/N: I apologize for all of my cliffhangers! II'm afraid I must be obsessed with them. I hope you all enjoyed seeing Corn. He was fun to write. Now what's going to happen with Yashiro? Stay tuned for the next chapter (probably tomorrow lol). Thank you for reading! Reviews are always appreciated! Thank you so much!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: A Distressing Discovery

"Hello, Ren," Yashiro greeted him. "Would you like to explain this all to me? Or should I ask Kyoko-chan?"

Ren stood frozen as his mind tried to think of a way to explain this away. How much did Yashiro know anyway?

"Yashiro, what are you doing here?" he asked, forcing a fake smile into his face. _Maybe I can tell him I was just testing out to see how I'd look as a blond?_

"I saw you with Kyoko-chan."

 _Well, so much for that._

Yashiro continued. "Well, I thought I saw you with her, then I realized it couldn't be you because you are not blond. So I came back here to talk with you about it, but when I got here, there was no sign of you. Instead I found this hair dye." He held up the half empty bottle.

Ren sighed as he sat down in a chair. _I guess it'll be best to tell him. Otherwise he might go to Kyoko for answers._ "All right. Let me just get back to normal, and then I'll tell you everything."

Yashiro nodded but kept still until Ren had entered the bathroom. Then he clapped his hands excitedly. _I'm going to be trusted with a secret!_ He squealed inwardly.

Ren quickly put in his hair dye. He wouldn't be able to leave it in for the full treatment time but hopefully it would be enough. He stepped back out to talk to his manager, leaving his head wrapped in a shower cap.

Ren pulled a chair over to where Yashiro was sitting on the bed. He sat down and looked at his manager seriously. "Yukihito, everything I'm about to tell you is a secret. The only people who know everything will be you and me. Although the President does know a fair amount of it. But you can't tell anybody. Especially not Kyoko."

Yashiro nodded, surprised by the younger man's solemn tone. "Of course, Ren. You can trust me."

Ren nodded and took a deep breath. "My real name is Kuon Hizuri."

"Hizuri…" Yashiro's eyes widened. "But tha-that would mean-"

"Yes, I am Kuu Hizuri's son."

* * *

Yashiro sat in a stunned silence as he allowed the information to sink in. Ren had returned to the bathroom to rinse out the hair dye and get dressed. _Although I guess that's not his real name…_ he sighed and rubbed his temples. He could feel a headache coming on.

Ren had told him, without too many details, about meeting Kyoko as a child, and her thinking him to be a fairy, as well as everything that had occurred while in Guam and the events of that afternoon. He couldn't believe Ren had managed to keep such a secret. Especially from Kyoko.

Ren stepped back into the bedroom, now returned to his every day looks. He grabbed his wallet and phone and began to move towards the door.

"Ren."

The younger man stopped as he heard his manager's voice. He turned back slightly.

"How long do you plan to keep all this a secret from her? Kyoko-chan will figure it out eventually."

Ren clenched his fist. "I know that. I'm just not ready to tell her yet. I need more time to figure out how to tell her without making her hate me."

Yashiro's heart ached for his friends, but now all he could do was keep Ren's secret and pray that it didn't wind up hurting them.

When the pair reached the filming location, Ren searched for Kyoko. He saw her seated by herself with a strange look on her face. She seemed to be staring off into space. He noticed Yukia standing nearby watching her as well.

"Is she okay?" he asked Yukia.

Yukia shook his head. "James and I found her kneeling on the sidewalk crying her eyes out." He explained. "We tried to get her to tell us what happened but she keeps saying she doesn't want to talk about it. Maybe she'll talk to you."

Ren looked uncertain before cautiously approaching her. _Well, I know what's wrong. After all, I'm the one who caused it._ He could feel the guilt welling up inside of him. He moved close enough to her to reach out and touch her hair.

"Kyoko? What's wrong?" he asked her softly.

She jumped at his sudden presence then looked up at him and tears filled her eyes again. "Ren…" she stood and hugged him tightly, "I saw him. I saw Corn." She looked up at him and he gave her a small smile.

"That's good, right?"

Kyoko nodded. "Yes. But he said it's the last time I'll get to see him." She could feel the tears threatening to leak from her eyes again.

She opened her mouth to begin telling Ren the story of her encounter with Corn when a staff member called her for wardrobe and make up.

Kyoko sighed, "I guess I'll have to tell you everything later. Maybe we can talk during dinner. You can come to my room."

Ren nodded, and then watched as the girl he loved walked away. As long as he kept telling himself he was doing this for her sake, he could keep his guilt at bay.

That night, Ren joined Kyoko in her room for dinner. They decided to sit outside on the balcony to eat because it was such a beautiful night. Kyoko was feeling a bit better now that Ren was with her. She turned to look at him from where she sat.

"Thank you," she muttered.

Ren looked up from his food. "For what?"

Kyoko smiled at him. "Thank you for being here. I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to handle his leaving if I didn't have you."

Ren returned her smile. "I'll always be here for you." He said reaching across the small table to touch her hand.

Kyoko felt at peace as she told Ren about meeting Corn in the forest and spending time talking and even about them taking pictures in the photo booth. He laughed with her, and held her tightly when she started to cry again.

They had finished eating and now stood near the balcony railing. Ren had his arms wrapped around her to warm her from the cool breeze. He kissed her head. Slowly, he noticed her head began to fall sideways until she bumped his arm.

Ren laughed when she straightened immediately. "Are you tired, darling?"

Kyoko nodded, too sleepy to blush at what he had called her. He led her back into the room and closed the sliding door for her. "I'll let you go to sleep then. We can have breakfast together in the morning." He kissed her lips, and then began to move towards the door.

She caught his sleeve in her hand. "Wait. Please, can you sleep in here tonight?" her voice was soft, as if she was afraid of being rejected.

Ren looked at her tenderly. "Of course. Let me just get my things. I'll bring all my stuff in here since we leave tomorrow anyway."

Kyoko nodded. "I'll take a bath then. Just knock on the bathroom door when you come back." She handed him her room key. "I'll see you in a little bit."

* * *

Ren left the room, but when he entered his own he hung his head. _So now I'm being rewarded for hurting you._ He slammed his fists down on his bed. "Yashiro was right. I have to tell her." He sighed and began gathering his things. "But not tonight. I'll wait until we get settled back home. Maybe I can tell her everything on our next day off."

He hurriedly packed his suitcase, being sure to hide the hair dye at the bottom. Last he grabbed the picture sheet, he smiled as he looked at the pictures of them, then carefully wrapped it inside of a shirt and closed his suitcase. He made sure to leave out his pajamas and clothes for the next day before going across the hall to Kyoko's room. He knocked softly on the door, then used the keycard to unlock it.

When he entered he saw that the bathroom door was open and the lights were off. He stepped further into the room and smiled. There on the bed, in her pajamas lay Kyoko, peacefully sleeping.

* * *

The next day they woke up early and began filming. Aside from their hour break for lunch, they worked straight through the day. It was exhausting but by four o'clock in the afternoon they had finished filming and packed up all of the equipment.

All the cast members boarded the bus and settled in for the long drive home. Five hours later, more than half the occupants of the bus had fallen asleep including Ren and Kyoko, as well as James. The bus pulled into the parking lot at TBM and Yukia shook James to wake him while Yashiro took on the task of waking up his charge and Kyoko.

James sat up suddenly. "Huh? What?"

Yukia laughed at his boyfriend. "We're back at the station. You fell asleep."

James rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Oh, well that was quick."

In the seat behind them, Yashiro carefully woke Kyoko. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Hmm?"

"Sshhh… Ren's still sleeping. I'll bring down your bags, why don't you wake him up?" he said before exiting the bus with the other actors.

Kyoko watched her boyfriend peacefully sleeping. _He just always has to look so adorable doesn't he?_ She glanced around to make sure no one else was around to see them, then leaned over and kissed Ren's lips.

She moved to pull back but was met with a hand on the back of her head pulling her close again, lips remaining locked in the kiss. Finally he released her. Ren opened his eyes and gave her a small smile. "Have we returned?" he asked, ignoring the irritated look on Kyoko's face.

"Yes, we have. What is wrong with you doing something so indecent to a young woman in public?" she scolded him, before standing up to exit the bus.

Ren chuckled. "It seemed to me you were the one attacking a defenseless sleeping man." He saw her face flush as she climbed off of the bus.

A few minutes later, they were both settled into his car for the ride back to their apartment. Kyoko was adamantly staring out the window, refusing to even chance their eyes meeting. Her arms crossed over her chest only proved to Ren that she was still mad at him.

He sighed. "How long are you going to be mad for? I was only teasing you."

Kyoko shook her head. "I'm not mad." She mumbled keeping her face turned away from him.

"Then what's wrong?" he asked.

Kyoko looked at him finally. "I'm tired and hungry. But I'm trying to keep my stomach from growling because otherwise you'll tease me about that too."

Ren clapped a hand to his mouth, trying not to laugh.

Kyoko's gaze turned cold and he was fairly certain she'd let Mio in. "Don't you dare laugh…" she hissed.

Ren swallowed his laughter as he pulled the car into his parking space. "All right, then let's go unload our things and I'll run back out to buy us something to eat."

Kyoko looked uncertain. "I can go with you." She offered.

Ren held up a hand to stop her. "You're tired. You should relax."

Kyoko was too exhausted to argue and conceded defeat. "All right. I'll stay here." She told him.

They took their bags upstairs, and into the apartment. Ren set the suitcases on their bed and then leaned down to kiss Kyoko. "I'll be right back. Try to relax, okay?"

"Well, I can at least unpack our things-"

"No."

Kyoko stared at Ren, surprised by his firm tone. He forced a smile, "I just don't want you to work too hard when we just got home." He patted her head. "You can unpack your things, but I'll take care of my bag when I get home."

Kyoko nodded and gave him a small smile. "All right, then."

She watched as Ren exited the apartment, then turned and stepped back into their bedroom. She unzipped her suitcase and began unpacking her clothes. She sorted everything between clean and dirty, putting away the clean things and moving the dirty clothes into a laundry basket.

Kyoko moved her toiletries back into the bathroom and took out the souvenirs she had purchased for her friends. She was so distracted thinking about their reactions when they received the gifts, that she didn't notice when she began to unpack Ren's bag.

"Uh oh. If he sees this he'll scold me." She hurriedly began to repack his things. Struggling to ensure that the clothes were folded exactly the same as he had had them.

She glanced down when she heard a sound of paper falling. "What's that?" she leaned down to pick up the thin strip of paper. She carefully turned it over in her hands.

 _What?!_ She stared down at the paper in her hands. Except it wasn't a paper… it was a photo sheet… with pictures of-

"Corn? B-but I gave these to Corn?" her hands began to shake. "B-but how?"

She jumped up from the floor and began to remove the rest of his belongings. She stopped only when she reached the bottom of the bag and found two bottles of hair dye.

Kyoko felt her legs give out from under her as she collapsed to the ground. _B-but that can only mean one thing…_

Images of all her interactions with Corn flashed through her mind. Him giving her the stone when she was a little girl and Ren's reaction the first time he saw it. The time in Guam when Corn had looked and sounded so much like her Senpai but she had ignored it because of his excuses. The kiss he had given her before leaving…

She covered her face with her shaking hands as she tried to stop the tears that were determined to fall.

* * *

 **A/N: So sorry for the cliffhanger! I'm afraid I'm addicted to them. I think I do it because I like to see what my readers think of those moments before the outcome is revealed. I'll try and update again tomorrow or FFriday at the latest. My two-year-old daughter is sick so I haven't been able to spend as much time focused on writing. Hopefully she'll be better soon so that she's not miserable, plus then I can give you guys more chapters. :)**

 **Thanks for reading! I love all my readers and reviewers!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Say Something

Ren sped down the street in his car. For some reason there had been a rather long wait at the fast food restaurant he had stopped at and so it had taken him much longer than expected to buy their food. _I hope she didn't get tired of waiting for me and unpack my suitcase…_ he thought anxiously. _But if she had, Kyoko would've called you by now demanding an explanation._

He parked his car and hurried into the building. It felt like hours waiting for the elevator to move up to his floor. Finally, the elevator doors opened and he nearly ran down the hall. He listened at the front door for a moment, before pulling out his keycard.

 _Well, I don't hear anything,_ he reasoned with himself before realizing that meant nothing.

He unlocked the door and stepped inside. After switching out his shoes for slippers he moved down the entry hall and into the living room.

There he found an unexpected sight.

Kyoko was relaxing on the couch watching television. She glanced up when he entered and gave him a smile.

"You're back!" she jumped up from the couch and began to help him set things down on the coffee table. "I was starting to get worried."

Ren stared at her, and let out a sigh of relief. _Everything's normal. She doesn't know._

She waved a hand in front of his face. "Ren? Everything okay?"

He smiled at her. "Yes, of course. Sorry it took so long, the line was longer than usual."

Kyoko nodded and they settled themselves down to watch TV while they ate. A couple of times he thought he felt her watching him, but every time he looked she was focused on either her food or the television.

 _Must be my imagination._ He told himself.

After they finished eating, Kyoko cleared the table. "I'll take care of the trash, since you went out to get the food." She told him.

Ren watched as she quickly cleared away the trash and a few minutes later returned from the kitchen with a tea tray.

"Here," she said, holding out a cup to him. "I thought some tea might be good before bed."

Ren accepted the cup and sipped at his tea. They sat together enjoying their tea and watching random shows that appeared on the television until Ren yawned.

"I guess we should go to bed." He said taking the tray to return it to the kitchen.

Kyoko followed him. "All right, I'm going to take a shower before bed. Don't forget to unpack your things."

Ren turned around from his place at the sink to respond to her. He had expected her to still be near the doorway but instead she was right in front of him. Before he could open his mouth to respond she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down to kiss her.

Ren was shocked at this passionate kiss. Kyoko had never kissed him like this before. She pulled away slightly and looked into his eyes. "I love you," she said, her voice soft.

Ren couldn't help the heavenly smile that flooded his face. "I love you too, Kyoko."

Kyoko's face flushed with embarrassment as if she had just realized her actions. She jumped back and across the room. "I'm going to go shower now." She called over her shoulder.

Ren laughed. _She is too cute,_ he thought happily as he finished washing the cups.

When he had finished he moved back into the bedroom and began to unpack all of his things. He sorted the clothes, adding the dirty ones to the half-full laundry basket. And then carefully stored away the two bottles of hair dye in the bottom of a drawer in his dresser. He returned to the suitcase and continued removing the clean clothes.

He pulled out the shirt he had carefully wrapped around the photo strip. But it wasn't there. _Where is it?_

Ren shook out the shirt completely. When nothing fell out, he moved on to all the other clothes in his suitcase. _Dammit! Where are they?_

He dug through the dirty clothes he had placed in the laundry but found nothing. "Maybe I dropped it." He climbed onto the floor and crawled around searching for the strip of paper. Even going as far to search under the bed.

"Nothing!" he sat up. _Where could I have left it? Maybe I forgot it at the hotel._ He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

He heard the click of the door opening and Kyoko entered the room, hair still wet, dressed in her pajamas. She continued drying her hair with the small towel in her hands.

"Did you lose something, Ren?" she asked, and Ren heard something strange in her voice. A sound he couldn't quite place.

He stood up, "Um, no. It's fine. It's nothing important."

Kyoko nodded and moved across the room to her nightstand. She opened the top drawer and pulled something out.

"Really?" she asked, holding up the photo booth pictures. "Because I thought that these were very important." She looked down. "And I thought Corn thought so too."

Ren felt like everything had come crashing down around him. His whole world stopped as he watch Kyoko. Listened to the words she said.

Her gaze returned to him. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

Ren couldn't speak. He couldn't find words. How could she act as if it was so simple? He had spent so much time trying to figure this out.

"All night I've been waiting…" her voice cracked, full of emotion, "I just kept thinking 'Please, say something. Say something to make it all, all right.'" She closed her eyes, struggling to hold back tears. "But you never said anything. This whole time, you just let me make a fool of myself."

She ran past him and he heard the slam of the guest bedroom door. His legs went weak, and he lowered himself to the ground. "I tried so hard to keep it from her so she wouldn't hate me." He laughed at his own stupidity. "And now I've hurt her trying to protect myself."

He heard a crash from the guest room. He pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face.

 _I'm sorry, Kyoko. I'm so sorry._

* * *

In the guest room, Kyoko stared down at where the table lamp now lay shattered on the ground. She kneeled next to it. "I-I didn't mean to…"

Kyoko had stormed into the room and searched for something to throw. She always threw stuff when she was angry. She had grabbed a pillow from the bed and thrown it, but it had inadvertently struck the small lamp, knocking it to the ground.

She began to pick up the broken pieces of ceramic and place them in one hand. "Ah!" she cried out. Her distressed state had caused her to cut herself on a broken piece.

A scene flashed through her mind. Mizuki kneeling to collect pieces of a broken cup, Katsuki taking hold of her hand, offering to disinfect it. Her face flushed and she threw the pieces back to the floor.

"Now is not the time to be thinking of him like that." She scolded herself. She sat down on the edge of the large bed. "How could I have not noticed?"

 _But I did, didn't I? I just chose to believe the lies he told me instead of my own eyes._ She could feel a pain in her chest that she hadn't felt in a long time. Several years in fact.

She hadn't felt like this since…

"Shotaro." Kyoko shook her head. "No, this hurts worse than that." Tears began to flow down her face and she threw herself face down onto the bed.

 _So much worse…_

* * *

The next morning, Ren woke up lying on the floor of his bedroom. _Why am I on the floor?_ He wondered as he struggled to sit up. His head was hurting.

The images from the night before flashed through his mind.

"Kyoko."

He jumped up and half ran down the hall to the guest room. He was about to throw open the door when he thought better of it.

"Kyoko?" Ren called through the door, giving a light knock. He waited but there was no response.

Ren cautiously turned the handle and opened the door. But the room was empty. In fact, aside from the missing lamp, it looked as if it hadn't been touched.

Ren sighed, "Well, I guess the crash I heard was the lamp." He walked to the bathroom but found it empty as well. Within a few minutes, Ren had searched the whole apartment and found that Kyoko was not there.

 _I wanted to talk to her this morning and get everything cleared up._ He ran a hand through his hair. "I guess, I'll just have to talk to her tonight."

Ren forced himself to get ready for the day, and pick up Yashiro for work, even though all he wanted was to wait at home for Kyoko to return. _But wasn't it me who told her that a true actor continues working even if their parent were to die?_

He hung his head, leaning it against the steering wheel. "Why did I have to say something like that? If I hadn't then I could stay home all day with a clear conscience."

There was a tap on the passenger window. Ren clicked to unlock the car without even looking up.

"Really, Ren. You should check who it is before you just unlock your car. What if I had been some crazy obsessed fan?" Yashiro lectured his charge as he climbed inside of the car.

When Ren didn't look up, Yashiro pulled his head up. He stuck a hand on Ren's forehead. "Are you sick?"

Ren pushed away his manager's hand. "I'm not sick." He said, grumpily.

"Did you and Kyoko-chan have a fight?" Yashiro asked. "I thought things were going so well after the trip." He sighed.

He froze though when he felt Ren's dangerous glare on him. "Why are you the one sighing? Last I checked, I'm the one who is dating her and therefore the only one who should be sighing if we fought."

Yashiro squeezed as close to the door as possible as he tried to hide from Ren's glare. "Yes. Yes. Absolutely right." He replied, trying not to whimper in fear.

He watched as Ren threw the car into gear and drove them towards their first job.

 _Kyoko-chan, what on earth happened between you two?!_

* * *

 **A/N: First things first! Thank you so much for reading! Second, the song that I used for this chapter was "Say Something" and if you feel like it, I'd recommend re-reading the chapter with that playing in the background. Third, I'm sorry it's a shorter chapter but on the bright side it's not a cliffhanger lol.**

 **I'll see you again soon with chapter 7! Please leave a review if you're able to! :) thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Aftermath

Kyoko had woken up early that morning. She couldn't remember when crying had turned into fitful sleeping, but when she awoke the pain cut through her anew. She had to force herself into work mode so as not to begin crying yet again.

 _I need to get ready and leave before he wakes up. I'm just not ready to have that conversation with him._ She told herself as she brushed her teeth and fixed her hair.

She checked the guest room drawers to see if she had any extra clothes that had been left behind in there when she moved to Ren's room. The only thing she found as she dug through the drawers was her old LoveMe uniform.

"I guess I'll have to wear this for now." She couldn't risk going into his bedroom and waking him up after all.

Kyoko got dressed, and stored her pajamas in the guest room dresser before grabbing her bag and leaving. She paused and leaned against the outside of their front door.

 _I'm sorry, Corn. I'm just not ready to face you._

After spending a couple of hours at a restaurant, eating breakfast and burning time, she headed to TBM. She received a few strange looks due to her outfit but most people had gotten used to it from the years before.

It wasn't until she reached the set that someone noticed something was wrong.

"What happened, Kyoko-chan?" Yukia asked as he sat down in the chair next to her. She was already in costume and make up but her character had yet to take control. It was difficult to get into the character of a girl who was happily dating the man she loved when she didn't even know what was going on in her own love life.

She sighed, "Ren and I had a fight."

He nodded understandingly. "Well, that's to be expected of a couple. Especially when you're living together."

Kyoko looked at him and he saw tears in her eyes. "I know it's a huge bother and you can say no if it's not all right but," she paused searching for the right words. "would it be possible for me to stay with you and James-san for a few days?"

Yukia stared at her. Just how bad had this fight been? Wasn't this something that could be settled after one night of Ren sleeping on the couch?

Kyoko looked down at her lap. "I-I mean I'm sure you need to ask James-san first-"

"It's fine. Of course, you can stay with us."

She stared at him hopefully. "Really?" she bowed her head to him. "Thank you so very much!"

Yukia nodded. "It's nothing. We are happy to have you."

At that moment the director called them onto the set to begin filming their first scenes of the day.

"Now for this episode we need to show the viewers just how completely happy the two of you are before everything gets torn apart in the two-part finale. Understand?" the director told them.

They both nodded in agreement but Yukia was concerned because he had never seen Kyoko look this depressed and empty.

 _Will you really be able to act Kimi-chan when you're feeling this way?_ He wondered as they got into place.

But as soon as the director had called action, a light crossed Kyoko's face.

 _Be happy. Be happy._ She chanted to herself. _You can fake being happy in love._

She smiled tenderly at Yukia.

 _I guess she can._

When their filming finished at two, Kyoko approached Yukia and James. She bowed to them.

"Thank you both again for allowing me to stay with you for a few days. If it's convenient for you, I'll be going home after this to collect my things, and then I could come to your apartment to leave them there. If not I could leave my things in the LoveMe section until you are able to head home."

Yukia looked at James. "Do we have anything right now?"

James shook his head. "You're free until five, then you have a commercial shoot until nine." Yukia had told him about Kyoko's situation during an earlier break and he had readily agreed to her temporarily staying with them.

Yukia smiled at Kyoko. "All right, then we'd be happy to give you a ride home to get your things and then take you back to our place so you can get settled."

Kyoko nodded, "Thank you. I'll go get my bag." She was grateful to be able to go get her things now, because she knew Ren wouldn't be there.

* * *

The whole day Ren was out of it. Yashiro had to keep reminding him to not make scary depressed faces when in front of people. Finally, in the early evening Yashiro noticed that Ren was continually checking the time on his phone.

"You can go home." He told the actor.

Ren looked at him confusedly. "But I still have another job."

Yashiro shook his head. "No, I cancelled it. Go home and work things out with Kyoko-chan. I know that's why you can't focus."

Ren gave his manager a grateful look. "Thank you, Yashiro. Did you want me to give you a ride home?"

The older man shook his head again. "That's all right, Ren. Don't worry about it."

Ren gathered his things quickly. "Thank you." He said as he left the studio they had been filming at. He sped home, trying the whole way to figure out what he would tell Kyoko. He just knew he wanted to hold her. Not having her with him the night before had hurt him so much.

He parked in his parking space and jumped out of his car, rushing to the elevator and anxiously waiting for it to arrive at his floor.

When he reached their apartment he unlocked the door and stepped inside. Even from the entry he could tell something was wrong. Their was no smell of cooking food- not that he expected her to be cooking him dinner, but it was a smell he had grown accustomed to. He stepped into the living room and saw no sign of Kyoko. No sound of movement from within the apartment.

He moved toward the guest room. _Maybe she's hiding in here again?_ He knocked lightly on the door before opening it. The room was empty. "Dammit."

He moved on to their bedroom. _Maybe she's sleeping in our room._ He opened the door and stepped inside. A once-over of the room told him she wasn't there, but it also told him she had been there.

The first thing he noticed was that the few decorative items she normally kept on her nightstand were missing, including Princess Rosa. He moved on to check the closet. Her suitcase and clothes were gone. He dug through the dresser drawers and found them all empty.

Ren was having trouble breathing. _Why did she take all of her stuff. Where did she go?_ He hurried to the bathroom. His last hope. After all, he hadn't checked the drawers in the guest room. Maybe she had just moved all her stuff in there.

But when he entered the bathroom his fears were confirmed. She had taken her toothbrush and other toiletries. Suddenly, his head hurt. He placed a hand to his temple and pressed.

Slowly, Ren made his way to the kitchen. The initial shock was fading to numbness. The woman he loved had left him. He didn't know how long she'd be gone or what this all meant but she was gone. He had thought that was the worst of it , but when he walked into the kitchen he felt his heart stop.

There on the counter was a card key. He picked it up. It was her key for the apartment. _Does this mean she's not coming back?_ He felt panic rising in his chest. Then he noticed another object on the counter. It was a tiny fabric purse.

He opened it carefully and poured the contents into his hand. In his palm lay a blue-purple stone. A stone that he knew all too well. He gripped it tightly.

His feet began to carry him into the living room where he collapsed onto the couch still clutching the stone. His throat felt thick with emotion as he tried to hold back the tears he could feel flooding his eyes. He stared down at the stone that had so often taken away his sad feelings.

"You can't leave me. I can't do this without you. Please." As the final words left his lips tears began to fall. Ren couldn't remember the last time he had allowed himself to cry with such abandon. But he had lost all will to hold back.

Right now he had lost the most important person in his entire world, and he didn't know if he could ever get her back.

* * *

Back across town, in a modest two bedroom apartment, Kyoko readied herself for a shower. Yukia had shown her to the guest room earlier so she could unpack and she had done her best to distract herself since then. Now it was nearly ten o'clock, and she hoped she'd be able to shower and fall asleep. She just needed to stop thinking for a while.

There was a knock on her bedroom door.

"Kyoko-chan? Can I come in to talk?" it was Yukia. She opened the door, welcoming him inside. They sat together on the floor.

"I hope the room is comfortable enough for you." He told her.

She smiled. "It's very nice. Thank you."

Yukia nodded, then rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, Kyoko-chan?"

"Yes?"

He sighed, and she could see he was nervous. "Since you'll be staying here, I'd like to know what happened. I don't need all the details, but I think I deserve to know what was so bad that it required you to move out of Tsuruga-san's apartment."

Kyoko was surprised. For some reason it had never occurred to her that he might ask. She took a deep breath, _he does have a right to know._

"I found out he's been hiding something from me. A secret about his past."

Yukia nodded, listening intently.

"He's Corn." She choked out. Now she was fighting back tears. "There's no such thing as fairies. He's been lying to me this whole time. And the worst part is that he's the only one I want to talk to. Because it used to be that Corn could always make me feel better, and then it was Ren who could do that." She hiccupped as tears began to streak her face. "And now I've lost both of them. They both abandoned me."

Yukia reached out and wiped the tears from her face. "I'm sorry, Kyoko-chan. I know how important Corn was to you."

She took a breath to try and calm herself. "I hoped that if I got away for a few days, I could think and try to understand everything. Please, promise me you won't tell him I'm here. I'm just not ready to see him."

Yukia took her hand and gently squeezed it. "Kyoko-chan, you won't be able to avoid him for long I'm afraid. We film with him starting tomorrow for the finale."

Kyoko's eyes widened. She had completely forgotten that they would still have to act together. "T-tomorrow?" he heard her voice crack and the tears began to flow again this time without any attempt to stop them.

He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly as she sobbed against his shoulder. He rubbed her back, uncertain of any other way to comfort her. After several minutes, the sobs became soft gasps for air and then faded completely as her breathing evened out.

"Kyoko-chan?" he asked softly.

When there was no response he shifted her in his arms and saw that she had fallen asleep. He carefully lifted her and laid her in the guest bed before tucking her in. He watched her sadly, he felt so helpless.

Later that night as he and James lay in bed, Yukia told him the things Kyoko had said. James sighed as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Do you think we should do something?" he asked.

Yukia reached out and grasped James' hand in his own. "I think so. But I'm not sure what."

"Well, maybe for now we just have to watch them tomorrow and see what happens?" James suggested.

Yukia nodded. "You're probably right." He leaned over and gave his boyfriend a quick kiss.

James chuckled, "I usually am."

Both men fell asleep worrying about their friends' situation. And hoping that Ren wasn't taking this any worse than Kyoko was.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello everyone! And Yay! No cliffhanger this time. Sigh. This was a difficult chapter to write emotionally, same with chapter 6. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you for reading! And I appreciate any and all reviews!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello my readers! So sorry for the delay in updating. I suddenly came down with something and was really sick all last week where I couldn't even write. Also I got a Lil stuck with my story but I figured it out and am back on track. I should have the next chapter for my other story up by tomorrow (iit's 2:30pm on Monday) and another chapter for this up either tomorrow or wednesday. :)**

 **Thanks for your patience. Please enjoy the chapter. And just so everyone knows I do read the reviews just don't get to reply to all of them but I love your feedback and ideas. :)**

* * *

Chapter 8: A Helping Hand

Ren awoke suddenly, his breathing labored and panicked as he stared around his dark living room. _What? Where am I?_ His eyes quickly adjusted and he realized he was in his apartment and not in the street of his nightmares. He had not just watched as he caused his friend to die.

 _I haven't dreamed about Rick in a while._ He sighed, then realized there was something in his hand. He opened his hand and saw the stone in his palm. _That's right. She's gone._ He felt a pain in his chest at the thought of Kyoko.

 _I wonder if she's okay._

He rose from the couch and slowly made his way to the bedroom he had avoided the night before. There had been no reason to drag himself to bed. No one waiting there for him. He ran his hands through his hair.

"I can't just keep thinking about her. I have to focus on work." He grabbed a towel and moved toward the bathroom to take a shower, hoping it would serve as a distraction.

* * *

Yukia was just finishing getting dressed for the day when he smelled the scent of food. He moved towards the kitchen where he found James sitting at the dining table drinking coffee and reading the newspaper while Kyoko flitted about the kitchen. She didn't seem to notice him so he moved next to James.

"What is she doing?" he whispered to his boyfriend, taking the cup from his hands to take a drink.

"She insisted on making us breakfast as a thank you for letting her stay here." James replied, quickly taking back the cup before Yukia could finish its contents.

Yukia moved away from the table and towards Kyoko. "You know, you don't have to cook for us." He said gently.

Kyoko glanced his direction. "Good morning, Yukia-kun. It's really nothing. It was the only way for me to show my gratitude."

He nodded, "All right, well, thank you. Do you need any help?"

Kyoko shook her head. "It's all right, I'm used to cooking on my own. Ren can't really co-" she stopped, face frozen in pain as she realized who she had mentioned. She forced a smile back on her face. "It's fine."

Yukia nodded and served himself a cup of coffee before sitting down at the table with James.

After she had finished cooking, the three of them sat together and began to eat.

"What are your plans for the morning?" James asked Kyoko.

"I think I'll try going to school. I'm in my third year now so I need to be sure and attend as much as I can." She replied.

"I think that's good, Kyoko-chan. Did you want a ride?" Yukia asked, taking another drink of his coffee.

Kyoko shook her head. "Oh, no. You two have done more than enough. Plus, you have work this morning too. I'll be able to make it to school fine and then I'll meet you at TBM this afternoon for the drama filming."

Yukia wanted to argue that they could drive her but James placed a hand on his arm. When Kyoko rose to get dressed for school, he turned to Yukia. "I think she may need the time to think."

"Yeah, you're right."

James cleared the dishes from the table, and Yukia went to the door of Kyoko's room. He knocked, "Kyoko-chan, we'll be leaving now. Have a good day at school!"

"Thank you! You have a good day too. See you this afternoon." She called back.

Kyoko listened until she heard the sound of the apartment door close. She sighed, sitting on the edge of her bed with her hands clutching her skirt. _Corn, why did you have to lie to me. Do you really distrust me so much still?_ She felt a few tears escape her eyes. "I still love you so much…" she wiped away the tears, but they were only replaced with fresh ones.

Half an hour later, she dried her face and forced a smile as she headed out the door and began her walk to school. She hoped school would be a distraction from her current problems, because right now, he was the only thing she could think of.

* * *

As Yashiro climbed into the car parked outside of his home he watched the driver. Ren had done his best to put himself together, but Yashiro could see that he hadn't put in his full effort. There were still parts of his hair that were sticking up at odd angles. His clothes were ironed and he looked well-dressed, but Yashiro had caught sight of two mismatched socks on Ren's feet.

 _Luckily, his pants will cover the socks most of the time._ He told himself as Ren began to drive them towards the agency. He could see that Ren had dark bags under his eyes. _Well, at least he'll have make up on before he goes in front of any cameras._

Before long, they parked at LME and headed inside to their morning meeting. As they walked past the LoveMe section, Yashiro caught Ren's eyes glance towards the door.

"How are things with Kyoko-chan?" Yashiro asked suddenly. He knew it was probably a bad idea, but he was desperate to get Ren talking. Since he had entered the young man's car, he had yet to speak except for a few grunts of acknowledgement.

Ren stopped, his feet pausing in place. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes taking a breath before pulling his sparkly smile out in full force. "I think I'm going to get a drink from the vending machine. I'll be back."

Yashiro watched as Ren walked down the hall and stepped into a corridor that held a few vending machines, leaving his sight.

While he waited for Ren to return, a certain LoveMe girl with long dark hair passed by him.

"Kotonami-san, good morning!" he greeted her.

"Good morning, Yashiro-san." She replied, then glanced around. "Where's Tsuruga-san?"

Yashiro chuckled nervously. "Um, he just stepped away to get a drink?"

She nodded, but before she could say anything else, Ren re-entered the hallway. He paused for a moment, looking surprised, then smiled at her using his fake smile.

"Good morning, Kotonami-san."

Kanae thought something seemed off with him, but put it out of her mind. "Good morning, Tsuruga-san. How's Kyoko doing? She hasn't been sending me as many annoying updates lately."

This time she couldn't dismiss the pained expression that crossed Ren's face when she mentioned his girlfriend. _Did something happen?_

Ren forced his smile again. "She's doing well. Probably just busy with her drama."

Kanae nodded, "Mm-hmm, and how has your filming been going with the drama? I heard it was a bit of a different role for you."

She could see it in Ren's eyes that he wanted to end the conversation but she needed to know what he was hiding from her. After all, it did concern her best friend.

"It's going very well, thank you. If you'll excuse us, we have a meeting to get to." Ren gave a slight bow to end the conversation before he began to walk away.

Yashiro stared after him for a moment, shaking his head. Kanae turned to him.

"What's up with him? Mo!" she asked, her irritation coming through. "Did something happen with him and Kyoko?"

Yashiro glanced uncertainly between Kanae and the direction Ren had gone. He sighed.

"All right, I really shouldn't say anything but…" he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Yes. They seem to have had an argument about something big and all I know is that she hasn't ridden with us the last two days." Kanae was silent as she took in the information. "Please don't tell him that I told-"

Kanae turned on her heel and took off after the tall actor.

"Tsuruga-san! Mo!" she called after him.

Ren paused and turned to look at her. She made it to him in seconds and stepped close to him, her face full of anger.

"What did you do? If you hurt her, I'll-" she paused, feeling the anger drain as quickly as it had filled her. She could see pain in his eyes. A pain she had only seen before in one person. Every time Kyoko had been forced to talk about Fuwa betraying her. Heartbreak.

She stepped back. "I- I'm sorry."

Ren nodded, not meeting her eyes. "It's okay. You have every right to be angry on her behalf. I'm afraid I did hurt her. But now she's gone and I never got a chance to explain things."

"Ren."

His eyes darted to meet her own.

"Did you mean to hurt her?"

Ren shook his head. "No, and I regret it. If I could go back I would've prevented it."

Kanae held up a hand to stop his talking. "I'll try talking to her. Because if you're hurting this bad, she must be too."

Ren gave her a gentle smile. "Thank you, Kanae-san."

She nodded, then turned and walked away. She waved back at him and Yashiro.

Yashiro met Ren's eyes nervously.

"So, you just tell my personal matters to anyone who asks?"

"Ren, you know I didn't mean-"

Ren waved away his managers words. "I know you did it out of concern for me. Thank you."

As Ren and Yashiro entered their meeting, Kanae was dialing her best friend's phone number. It rang four times then went to voicemail.

"Hello, you've reached Kyoko's phone. I'm sorry I can't answer right now. Please leave a message and I'll return your call as soon as I can. Thank you!"

Kanae rolled her eyes at Kyoko's annoyingly cheerful answering message.

"Hi, Kyoko, it's me. I want to talk to you. Call me back." She clicked the button to end the call.

 _You'd better call me back sometime today, Kyoko._

* * *

After her morning classes had finished, Kyoko decided to check her phone before heading to TBM. She gasped in excitement.

"Moko called me?" she quickly listened to the voicemail. "I wonder if the day has finally come where she needs my advice on something!" she shook her head. "No, Moko wouldn't need my help. She's too amazing an actress."

She sighed happily then clicked to recall her friend.

"Hello," Kanae answered.

"Moko! You called me!" Kyoko exclaimed into the phone.

"Do you have to yell? Mo! I'm going to go deaf with you always yelling."

Kyoko smiled at her friend's scolding. "Sorry, Moko. I didn't mean to yell. I've just missed you."

"You can't have missed me too much. You haven't called me recently." She paused before continuing, "Even though you're fighting with Tsuruga-san."

Kyoko felt her face flush and her heart drop. "I- what- how did you know?" she sputtered.

"I ran into him and his manager. But the better question is, why am I hearing about it from them, when we are best friends." Kanae couldn't keep the hurt from her voice.

"I'm sorry, Moko. I just didn't want to bother you with my problems. I know how busy you are."

Kanae sighed, it was pretty easy to guilt Kyoko. "Where are you staying? I want to come see you after work."

"I'm staying with my co-star and his manager. Would you want to come over for dinner?" Kyoko offered.

Kanae thought about it and figured it was her best option to get the truth from Kyoko. "All right, yeah. What time?"

"Let me check with my co-star, and then I'll text you the time and the address."

"Sounds good. I'll see you tonight then."

Kyoko listened as the phone clicked and her friend hung up. She sighed, the excitement of a call from her best friend leaving her. _Now I have to tell Yukia-kun that I invited someone over for dinner without asking him first._

But even as her thoughts of what she had to deal with later filled her head, Kyoko couldn't help but feel a little bit happy that Kanae had been so concerned for her.

* * *

As Ren and Yashiro finished their morning meetings, they returned to Ren's car.

"Where are we heading next?" Ren asked his manager.

"TBM to start the second part of filming for Keishi." Yashiro responded. He watched for Ren's reaction. As he processed the information, his face grew darker.

He sighed, "I have to act with her, don't I?"

Yashiro felt bad for his friend. _I can't even imagine the pain of having to see her right now._ He glanced at the man in the driver's seat. "Ren, you still haven't told me. What did you two argue over?"

He half expected Ren to yell at him, or tell him it was none of his business.

"She found out I'm 'Corn'."

Yashiro was silent. He had warned Ren about this, because he wanted to avoid any heartbreak between his favorite couple.

 _Go on, just say it already._ Ren thought to himself. _Say I told you so._

Instead, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry you are hurting like this, Ren."

Ren shrugged off the hand, "Don't be all sympathetic. It's worse than when you tease me."

Yashiro might have been hurt by Ren's words but as the younger man put the car into gear and began to drive, he had a small smile on his lips because he was secretly grateful for his manager's kindness.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! But finally I found inspiration and was able to write chapter 9. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Chapter 9: The Avoidance Act

After Ren and Yashiro parked at TBM, they exited the car and headed inside. As they got closer to the studio, Ren's face became more serious as he grew more nervous. He wanted to see Kyoko, to comfort her and tell her he was sorry for hurting her like this. But he wasn't sure if he could handle being rejected.

 _Or worse, what I'd she's completely unaffected by our break up? What if it's only me who's so heartbroken?_ He mentally scolded himself for his thoughts. How could he be hoping for her unhappiness? He should be hoping she'd be fine. She didn't deserve any more heartbreak.

When they stepped into the studio they approached the director.

"Good afternoon, Director." Yashiro and Ren each greeted him.

"Good afternoon, Tsuruga-san, Yashiro-san. It's good to see you both again!" the Director replied excitedly.

Ren's eyes combed the people present around him. He didn't see her, but he did spot Yukia. _Maybe he knows where she is._

"Excuse me, Director. I think I should go greet the other actors." He said, giving a slight bow before moving away. He quickly crossed the set to stand beside Yukia, greeting the other cast and crew members as he went.

"Good afternoon, Yukia-kun," Ren greeted his fellow actor.

Yukia looked uncomfortable with talking to Ren, but gave him a kind smile. "Hello, Tsuruga-san, it's good to see you."

Ren stared down at his shoes, uncertain of how to broach the subject of Kyoko. Surely, if she had told anyone about this it would be Yukia. He was saved the discomfort of standing in silence when Yukia decided to speak.

"I know you're probably worried about Kyoko-chan." He said quietly.

Ren looked at him surprised.

"She's fine. Well, not fine, but," he searched for what to tell Ren; what words would comfort him at the moment, "She's staying with me and James."

Ren felt relieved. He had been worried that she was bouncing around from place to place trying to find somewhere to stay, or worse spending all her money to stay in a hotel. "Thank you for looking after her." He said, giving a bow to the younger man.

Yukia smiled at him again, more warmly than the first time. "We are glad to help."

"Do you think I'd be able to talk to her?" Ren asked. "I wasn't sure where she was."

Yukia shrugged. "I'm not sure, but it's certainly worth a shot. I believe she's getting her make up done for filming right now."

Just then, the actors were approached by their managers who appeared to be chatting with each other.

Yashiro turned to Ren as he reached him. "Ren, the director asked for you to get into make up."

Ren nodded then turned to Yukia again. "Once again, thank you for all your help." He glanced towards James. "Both of you." With those words he turned and walked away with a very confused Yashiro trailing behind him.

"What was that about?" James asked his boyfriend.

Yukia gave him a smile. "He's just grateful that Kyoko-chan is safe. If the dark circles under his eyes are any indication, I'd say he's been very worried about her."

James nodded. "Well, that's good. I'm glad to see that they both care for each other even when they are fighting."

Just as Ren had disappeared into a dressing room, Kyoko emerged from her own. She smiled at her friends and approached them.

"I'm all set, Leo-kun," she said cheerfully.

 _So she's already in character. Is that her way of avoiding Tsuruga-san?_ Yukia wondered. He smiled back at Kyoko. "Great, Kimi-chan. I think we are almost ready to begin filming." He glanced at James. "Can you check how much longer we have before filming?"

James nodded, "Of course." He stepped away towards where the director was chatting with his assistant.

Yukia turned to Kyoko who had now grabbed ahold of his hand, threading their fingers together.

"He's here already, Kyoko-chan." He told her softly.

She looked at him innocently. "Who's here, Leo-kun?"

Despite the smile on her face he could see something else in her eyes hidden behind her acting façade. He shook his head, it was no use trying to talk to her about Tsuruga-san if she was in character. "Never mind."

James returned to their side a moment later. "The director said we can begin with one of your scenes while we are waiting for Tsuruga-san."

There was a flicker of emotion across Kyoko's face at the mention of Ren but her mask returned quickly.

"Okay, James. Thank you." Yukia said before he began to lead Kyoko to the set.

The director briefed them about their scene before getting the cameras set in place. They were going to shoot a scene at Kimi and Leo's school before Satoshi arrived. The two of them were seated in a classroom talking happily with a few of their friends.

"Kimi-chan, I heard that you got to meet a hot guy while on your vacation." One of her girl friends teased.

Kimi rolled her eyes. "The only thing I noticed was his ego. He was so full of himself and assumed I'd want to date him just because he has money."

Leo forced a smile as he listened to Kimi talk with her friends. He had only met the man she was talking about once when he had arrived to pick up Kimi for the train ride home, but he hadn't liked him.

Just then their homeroom teacher entered the room.

"Quiet down class. We are going to go over some review since you just came back from vacation." He told them.

The second the teacher had turned to write on the board Kimi reached forward to the desk in front of her to poke Leo's shoulder.

He glanced back. "What is it?" he asked.

"You don't have to worry about that rich guy. You're the only one I want to date." She whispered to him.

He returned his attention to the teacher at the front of the classroom, but a smile stayed on his face as he thought about the words she had said.

"Cut! Great job everybody!" the director called. "I think we can go ahead and use that. Let's move on to the scene of Satoshi's arrival at lunch time."

Kyoko rose from her desk, following behind Yukia as they moved sets. She had yet to see Ren but she hoped her acting would hold up as a wall between them for now.

Ren felt his heart stop when he first saw Kyoko. How many days had it been since he'd seen her? It felt like years. _She looks more beautiful after just a few days._ He had to force himself not to run to her.

"Tsuruga-san, we need you on set." An assistant told him before walking away.

He followed Yashiro over to the outdoor set where Leo and Kimi were going to be having lunch. Kyoko had yet to acknowledge him with even her gaze. He doubted that she could've gone this long without seeing him and could only assume she was purposely ignoring him.

While the crew set up the cameras and lighting, Ren moved over near Yukia and Kyoko. He watched as Kyoko talked with Yukia. She had a bright smile on her face and the tone of her voice was almost flirty? She flipped her hair with one hand.

Yukia felt uncomfortable, he could feel Ren's eyes on him and Kyoko. _Why can't she just be herself for right now?_

He watched as Ren stepped up next to them. "Good afternoon, Mogami-san."

Kyoko didn't turn around. Yukia gestured behind her.

"Um, Kimi-chan."

She turned around and her eyes narrowed. "Ryuu-san," she said coolly.

 _So she's in character still…_ Ren thought. He felt frustrated. Even when she was right in front of him, she wasn't.

Kyoko turned back to Yukia. "I'm going to go get my make up touched up. I'll be right back." She gave his hand a squeeze before walking away.

Yukia looked at Ren with pity. "I'm sorry about that, Tsuruga-san. She's been in character the whole time. Even before she saw you."

Ren shook his head. "It's okay. It's not your fault."

Meanwhile in her dressing room, Kyoko sank into her chair. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. "This was supposed to have been a fun thing, getting to act with him. But now I'm in here barely holding myself together." She sighed. All she wanted to do was run away, but her pride as an actress wouldn't allow it.

 _No matter what, the show must go on._ She took a deep breath. Outside of the dressing room she heard the director calling for them to get in place for the next scene.

"Time to be Kimi-chan again. Let's go."

Kimi and Leo sat together in the small courtyard of their high school. They were seated on a stone bench under the shade of some nearby trees.

"I missed you while I was at my grandmother's house." Kimi said softly as she stared down at her lunch.

Leo nodded, swallowing a bite of his own food. "I missed you too. Next time, maybe I can go with you."

Kimi laughed. "I wish you could, but my grandmother hates anybody who isn't rich. That's why she brought that other guy to meet me. Can you believe she wanted me to marry him?"

Leo stared at her seriously. "You really don't mind that I'm not rich?" he asked.

Kimi looked up at the sky. "If you had asked me that a few months ago, my answer would've been different. I wouldn't have even given you a second glance if you didn't have money." She brought her gaze to meet his own. "But you changed me, Leo-kun. Now I know that love is a million times more important than money or title or anything else."

Leo felt a smile appear on his lips. He was touched at what she had said. It was exactly what he had hoped she would say. "Well, I'm glad you were able to change for the better."

A moment later, Leo rose from his seat. "I'm going to go buy myself a drink. Did you want anything?" he offered.

Kimi nodded, "A soda please." She watched as he walked away.

Nearby she heard the sound of somebody slowly applauding her. She looked up and saw Satoshi Ryuu standing just a few feet away. "That was a very nice speech you gave. But don't you think you should've told him the truth?"

Kimi glared at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean the fact that money _is_ important to you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gone out with me while you were at your grandmother's house."

"I didn't do that because of money. I did that for my family." She spat the words at him. "And why are you even here?"

He shrugged, "Is there something wrong with me coming to see my future bride?"

Kimi gave a hollow laugh. "I would never marry you." She scoffed. She stood up, ready to be done with this conversation, but before she could take a step, Satoshi was in front of her. He grasped her chin in his hand.

"I'm not leaving here until you have agreed to marry me." He hissed.

She felt her blood run cold at his threat.

"Kimi-chan," Leo called to her as he rounded the corner. He ran to her side but by the time he reached her, Satoshi was gone.

He grasped her shoulders gently. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

She nodded, her eyes still blank. "I think so."

He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. Still, she shivered at the thought that this would not be her last encounter with that man.

After filming had finished, Kyoko felt Kimi leave her. A different look came over her face and Yukia waved a hand in front of her eyes.

"You okay, Kyoko-chan?" he asked.

Kyoko blinked then looked at him as if she had only just realized he was there. "Oh, Yukia-kun!" she beamed. "Did we finish filming already?"

He nodded, "Yeah, you did really well."

She blushed, "I guess I was just really in tune with Kimi-chan today."

"Or maybe you were trying to avoid someone?" he suggested. Kyoko followed his eyes to where Ren stood nearby talking to Yashiro and the director.

Her eyes went wide, and then she turned and all but ran to her dressing room.

Ren looked up at the noise of Kyoko's escape just in time to see her disappear down the hall.

Yukia followed Kyoko to her dressing room, James close behind. Yashiro saw Ren's eyes follow them. He tapped Ren's shoulder.

"If you want to go too, I'll stay here to make sure you aren't disturbed."

Ren silently thanked his manager, before excusing himself to follow after the other two. _Maybe this is my chance to talk to her. Maybe I can fix things. Just maybe._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: A Confirming Encounter

Kyoko had just entered her dressing room. She began to anxiously pace the length of the room. _I wonder how long I have to hide in here before he will have left._ She froze when she heard a knock on her door. Surely, Ren wouldn't have had the nerve to come to her dressing room, would he?

"Kyoko-chan, it's me, Yukia. Can I come in?"

She let out a sigh of relief at hearing her friend's voice. "Yes, come in." she called.

The door opened and Yukia stepped inside. He walked over to Kyoko. She looked like she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She was shaking slightly, and there were tears in her eyes. Instinctively, he hugged her.

"Don't you think you might feel better if you talk to him?" he asked.

Kyoko shook her head. "No, I cant. I'm just not ready to see him yet."

Yukia hushed her as he heard a sob escape her throat. "It's okay. You don't have to talk to him if you aren't ready yet."

Outside of the dressing room, Ren stood dejected in the hall. James stood next to him silently. He watched the array of emotions that flooded Ren's face. Love, pain, sadness, hurt, self-loathing. He wanted to say something to comfort him. _Although he may not want to hear the opinions of outsiders._ He told himself.

Ren watched the pained expression on James face. Was James glaring at him? _Maybe he's realized what a terrible person I am too._ Ren ran a hand through his hair.

Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw James looking at him kindly. "It's going to work out. You two will be okay." He told him.

Ren looked doubtful. "How can you promise something like that?"

James smiled. "I've seen the way you two care about each other. Don't give up hope just yet."

Ren couldn't help but allow a small smile to appear on his face at James' confidence. "How long have you and Yukia-kun been together?" he asked.

James looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess it's been almost two years."

"Have you two ever had a really bad fight?"

James laughed, "Doesn't every couple? That's just what happens when you are in a relationship. Especially if you're living together."

Ren nodded, "I guess I'd never really thought of it like that." He said. "But still, what if she doesn't ever come back?"

"Look at it this way. If she'd completely given up on you, don't you think she would've found a permanent place to live?"

"You're right. Thank you, James-san." Ren felt a little better after their conversation, until Yukia stepped out of the dressing room.

"I'm sorry, Tsuruga-san. She's not ready to talk to you yet." Yukia told him.

Ren tried to hide his disappointment. "Thank you for trying. I guess I just need to give her more time. I'll be heading out now." He bowed to them both, before turning to leave.

That night, Kyoko waited anxiously for Kanae to arrive at the apartment. She had offered to cook dinner since she was the one who had suddenly invited company over, and Yukia and James had no objections after tasting her cooking that morning. They were also hoping that this friend of hers could help talk some sense into Kyoko.

The doorbell rang and Kyoko hurried to answer it. She threw open the door with a smile. "Moko!" she cried, throwing her arms around her friend.

"Yes, hello. Mo! Now get off me will you." Kanae greeted her. _Why does she have to act like an over-excited puppy?_ She held out a bag to Kyoko. "It's not much. I just stopped and picked up dessert."

Kyoko opened the bag. "They're mini cakes! How nice!" she grabbed Kanae's arm and pulled her into the kitchen/dining room where Yukia and James were sitting at the table.

"Moko, this is Yukia Moore, my co-star, and his manager James-san." She introduced them. "And this is my best friend, Kanae Kotonami."

Kanae gave a slight bow to the two guys in front of her. They both rose and bowed in return.

"Nice to meet you, Kotonami-san," Yukia greeted her. "I'm happy to meet one of Kyoko-chan's friends."

"Oh!" Kyoko exclaimed, "And Moko is a member of the LoveMe section too!"

Kanae glanced back and forth between Kyoko and Yukia. "You're… a LoveMe member?"

Yukia scratched the back of his head, a light blush appearing on his face. "Yeah, I was just added by the President."

Kanae looked at James. "What about you?"

James laughed, "I managed to avoid it apparently."

She nodded, watching them, before turning back to Kyoko. "Did you need any help cooking?"

Kyoko shook her head, pushing Kanae towards the table. "No! You need to sit down, you're my guest! Besides dinner will be ready in just a few minutes."

Kanae sat down at the table feeling awkward. _I guess I'll have to wait until after dinner to talk to her._

After dinner, Kyoko led Kanae back to the guest room she was staying in. She sat on her bed and gestured for Kanae to do the same.

"That was so kind of Yukia-kun and James-san to offer to do the dishes so we could talk, wasn't it?" she asked.

Kanae nodded, "Yeah. It was." She sat down next to Kyoko, feeling nervous about the conversation they were about to have.

"Moko," Kyoko began suddenly, "I was surprised you didn't scold me when you found out I was staying here."

"What? Did you want me to scold you? Mo!" she replied harshly. _This girl is always so strange._

Kyoko laughed, "No, I just thought Moko would be angry with me for staying here with two men."

"Why should I be worried? They're a couple aren't they?"

Kyoko stared at her open-mouthed. "You knew?" she asked.

Kanae shook her head in exasperation. "It was pretty easy to figure out. I mean why else would you be staying with two men? You wouldn't stay with two men who were straight would you?" she gave Kyoko a stern look.

"Of course not!" Kyoko cried.

Kanae gave Kyoko a small shove. "You're too loud. It's going to give me a headache." She took a breath. "And besides, you're just stalling, right? Because you don't want to talk about your fight with Tsuruga-san."

Kyoko hung her head. "I'm sorry, Moko. I just don't know what to say or do."

"Why don't you start by telling me what happened?" Kanae suggested.

Kyoko nodded, "You know how we went on location recently to film for my drama?"

"Yeah."

"When we got back, I found out Ren had been lying to me." Her voice was quiet now, as if she was afraid she might cry if she spoke too loudly.

Kanae stared at the pattern on the blanket. "What did he lie about?"

Kyoko sighed, "Everything."

Kanae could hear the pain in her friend's voice. "What does that mean?" she asked as she tried to keep her own voice steady.

"He lied about who he is." She took a deep breath and Kanae wasn't sure if she would continue but a moment later she did.

"When I was a little girl, I met a boy. A boy I called Corn. He helped me back when I was a crybaby because my mom was always gone. He told me he was a fairy, and I believed him. Last year, I met him again." A sob broke through her words and she took a moment to compose herself.

"And it was wonderful. Everything was the way I had remembered it. Moko, he gave me my first kiss. And then he left, but he promised I'd see him again. And I did. He found me during the on-location filming we did. This time he said we wouldn't get to see each other anymore and I cried because that made me sad. But when we got home, I found evidence that Corn was never the person I thought he was." She grabbed Kanae's hand and the dark haired girl met her friend's teary eyes. "Ren is Corn. He's been lying to me this whole time, keeping it a secret from me."

Kyoko stopped talking, she waited to hear what her best friend would have to say about this.

Kanae took a breath and said a silent prayer that Kyoko wouldn't hate her for what she was about to do. "Why?"

Kyoko blinked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Why didn't he tell you? Why did he keep it a secret?"

Kyoko was taken aback. "I- I don't know. He didn't tell me why."

"If you're going to give up on love that easily shouldn't you at least find out why he lied?" Kanae knew she was pushing her, but it had to be done. That was the only way to get through to her sometimes. _You better have a good reason for doing this to her, Tsuruga Ren._

Kyoko twisted her hands together anxiously. "I never said I was giving up on Ren. I just don't know what to do. It feels like he still doesn't trust me, and that hurts a lot when I trusted him completely."

Kanae reached out to touch Kyoko's shoulder. "Look, I know you're upset. But I think you owe it to yourself to hear him out. At least then you can make a proper decision."

Tears filled Kyoko's eyes again as she threw her arms around her friend. "Moko!"

Kanae resisted the urge to push Kyoko away. _I hope they make up soon, all this love stuff is wearing me out._

The next day, Kyoko felt even less prepared to see Ren. Kanae's words from the day before still echoed in her head as she sat getting her make up and hair done for the day. _Maybe she is right. I didn't really take the time to listen to his reasons. But what if, now that I left, he's realized he doesn't need me?_

"You're all finished, Kyoko-san." Her stylist said as she began packing up her equipment.

Kyoko bowed to her. "Thank you for your hard work, Kisaki-san. I'm sad that we are almost done with the drama. I've enjoyed working with you."

The stylist smiled at Kyoko. "I've enjoyed it too. It's nice to work with someone who appreciates what I do." She bowed and then left the dressing room, leaving Kyoko to her thoughts once again.

She stared at herself in the mirror. The make up she wore was now covering the dark circles she'd found under her eyes due to her frequent crying and a lack of proper sleep. "I didn't get to see him yesterday before he got make up. Maybe he has these too." She pondered this for a moment then shook her head. She couldn't imagine Ren would cry over her.

 _But maybe…_

Kyoko jumped up from her chair and hurried out of the dressing room. If she could see him, maybe she could answer her questions.

When she opened her dressing room door and ran out she ran straight into someone. The crash sent her falling backwards and she moved to brace herself but found she had been caught in someone's arms.

"You should be more careful."

She looked up and her amber eyes met Ren's brown ones. She could feel her face heating up as she realized he had caught her. Ren let her go as quickly as he had caught her. He looked away, a strange look on his face.

"Sorry, I just didn't want you to fall." He muttered, before moving past her towards the make up room he was using.

Yashiro glanced back and forth between the couple, feeling like he had just witnessed something straight out of a drama. "Kyoko-chan," he started.

Kyoko smiled at him and bowed. "Yashiro-san, please tell Ren thank you for me." She quickly moved past the stunned man and continued out onto the set fighting back tears. She had gotten her answer.

 _He does still love me._

* * *

 **A/N: Hello again! So a couple of things... Happy Easter! Next chapter will be up Monday. (yyay!) And I promise next one is the last chapter that'll be all sad... (at least for a while I think...) lol. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! See you soon!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Picking Things Up…

Ren was silent the entire time as he got his make up and hair done. His run in with Kyoko had done little to ease his mind and had only served to distract him more. He sighed as he remembered how it had felt to hold her in his arms. _Even if it was just for a few seconds._ He closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

Yashiro waited until he and Ren were alone in the hall outside of the dressing rooms before mentioning Kyoko. "Ren, Kyoko asked me to thank you for catching her earlier." He watched for Ren's reaction.

The younger man nodded. He wasn't sure what to make of that. "Well, at least today she isn't ignoring me." He admitted.

They moved onto the set and Ren saw Kyoko talking with a couple of the other actresses who were playing students at the school. When she looked his way their eyes met for a second before she looked away with a slight blush on her cheeks. _I guess that's still an improvement from before._

The director called them over and they began shooting a few scenes. They had started with some school scenes and an emotional scene between Leo and Kimi. It wasn't until the afternoon that they got to Ren's first scene of the day with Kyoko.

The scene was to take place outside of Kimi's school, where she was waiting for Leo after classes. She stood in the empty courtyard of their school looking at her phone when Satoshi approached.

"So, your boyfriend isn't here. Did you dump him yet?" he said, resting an arm above her preventing her from moving away from the wall she was leaning against.

Kimi glared up at him. "I don't see why that is any of your concern. Also you aren't allowed on school grounds. Do I need to call security to escort you out again?" she threatened, trying to hide the fact that her knees were shaking.

She was a petite girl, and Satoshi was a tall, well-built guy. She couldn't help but be intimidated by his large figure looming over her.

Satoshi laughed at her as he reached out to touch a strand of her hair. "To do that you'd have to get away from me first, now wouldn't you?"

Kimi slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me." She hissed.

Satoshi's eyes darkened and he grabbed ahold of Kimi's arm causing her to drop her phone. He pulled her to him roughly. Now was the moment he was supposed to force her to kiss him, but Ren faltered.

The only thing he saw before him was a terrified looking Kyoko. He couldn't separate the frightened look in her eyes from the woman he loved. Immediately his hand released her.

"Cut!" the director called.

Kyoko stared at Ren, dumbstruck. _Why did he stop?_

The director approached them. "Is everything all right?" he asked.

Ren put on a fake smile. "Sorry, I just blanked for a minute."

The director nodded, "Did you need a few minutes?"

Before Ren could respond, Kyoko interrupted. "Director-san, actually, I think I'm not quite feeling prepared to do this scene today. Could we move it to tomorrow?" she asked, she was putting an effort in to make herself look pitiful so the director wouldn't object but she needed one more thing. "That is, if Ren doesn't mind." She glanced towards her fellow actor.

 _What is she doing?_ He wondered. But if she wasn't ready, that worked out for him because he was having trouble forcing himself to be rough with her even if they were acting. "I don't have any objections to waiting until tomorrow." He answered.

The director flipped through his clipboard schedule and scratched his head. "I guess if we can film the fighting scenes for Leo-kun and Satoshi-kun today then we should be fine still."

Kyoko bowed to the director. "Thank you, and I am very sorry for the inconvenience."

The director blushed at her apology. "Really, it's fine, Kyoko-san. After all you are the lead actress and you've been filming your scenes efficiently this whole time."

Kyoko blushed at his praise. She was so focused on her conversation with the Director that she didn't notice when Ren got pulled aside by Yashiro.

"What happened?" his manager asked him.

Ren shook his head. He couldn't believe he had allowed his feelings to get in the way of their acting. "Nothing. I just got distracted."

Yashiro was forced to accept Ren's excuse because Ren was then pulled away by a crew member to help him get set for the next scene. He listened as the director walked Ren and Yukia through the next scene.

"Now the next scene takes place after Leo-kun finds out that Satoshi-kun forcibly kissed Kimi-chan. It'll take place in the gym." The director looked at both actors. "You've both done some practice runs with our trainer on basic fencing techniques, correct?"

They both nodded and the director walked away to check the cameras while the actors got into place. Ren and Yukia stepped onto the set and waited for the director to start the scene.

Yukia couldn't help but feel awkward. Here he was about to fight Ren to protect his fake girlfriend who was being played by Ren's real girlfriend. _Yeah, this is going to be fun._

As the cast and crew got ready for the next scene, Kyoko changed out of her costume and removed her make up. She had gotten permission from the director to go ahead and leave since she had no other scenes left for the day and she wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

She hurried outside and called for a taxi. If she was going to talk to Ren she needed to get prepared.

Inside on the gymnasium set, Leo stood opposite Satoshi, a fierce glare on his face. While Satoshi smirked at him.

"I don't understand why you are so obsessed with my girlfriend!" Leo yelled. He took a step towards the taller man.

"I'm obsessed with her, as you say, because she is going to marry me. You are just a temporary amusement." Satoshi waved a hand dismissively at Leo.

"If I have to I'll force you to leave her alone. I won't let you attack her again!"

Satoshi laughed, "Do you intend to fight me?"

"If that's what I have to do."

Leo watched as Satoshi moved to a wall display for the fencing club. He pulled down two fencing swords and tossed one to Leo.

"Gentlemen do not use their fists. So why don't we have a friendly fencing match?" he gestured in the air with the rapier. "If I win, you leave Kimi to me."

Leo shot him another glare. "And when I win, you will leave and never bother either of us again."

Satoshi nodded, "Fair enough. But I should warn you, I've been fencing since I was in elementary school."

"That'll just make it more satisfying when I kick your ass."

Satoshi took a step towards Leo and bowed to him before resuming a ready position. "En garde!"

Several minutes later, both Leo and Satoshi were sweating and red in the face. Leo made a lunge towards him, but Satoshi parried before attacking again. Leo barely avoided the sword coming his way.

He spun and returned the attack, firmly landing the end of his sword into Satoshi's chest. Though the safety cap prevented any damage, the force of the blow was enough to throw the older man backwards onto the floor. Leo stepped up to him and pointed the rapier at his throat.

"You've lost. Now be a gentleman and honor your word." Leo spat the words at him before throwing the sword to the ground and walking away.

"Cut!"

Yukia returned to Ren's side, amidst the applause of those watching and held out a hand to help Ren up. "Good match," he told him with a smile.

Ren nodded. "You too. Although, you could've been a bit more gentle with that last blow." He rubbed at the spot on his chest where he'd been hit.

Yukia laughed. "I couldn't go easy on you. I watched you in your practices. You pick up things really fast, don't you?"

"Yeah, I suppose I do." Ren glanced around to see if Kyoko was watching the scene they'd just finished, but his eyes couldn't find her.

"Looking for Kyoko-chan?" Yashiro asked as he stepped over to Ren with a bottled water for him.

"Did she leave?"

"It would appear the director let her leave because she was done filming for the day." Yashiro clapped a hand on Ren's shoulder. "Sorry, Ren."

Ren let out a sigh. "There was no helping it I guess."

After finishing a few touch up scenes for the swordfight, the director congratulated the actors on a good day's work and sent them on their way.

Ren changed quickly and was ready to leave the studio by five o'clock. He caught sight of Yukia and James in the parking garage as they were leaving and offered a wave. _If nothing else, at least I can be happy that she's not alone. And we have made progress._

He climbed into his car and was awoken from his thoughts when Yashiro waved a hand in front of his face. "Ren, have you heard a thing I've said?"

The actor shook his head, answering honestly. "I'm sorry. I was thinking about Kyoko."

"That's all right, Ren. I understand."

Ren was grateful that Yashiro seemed to be busy making notes on his phone and so was silent for the ride home. He bid his manager good bye as he dropped him off before heading back to his apartment. As he turned onto his street, rain began to splatter his windshield. He sighed thinking it would be yet another cold and lonely night for him.

Ren parked his car and then heard his stomach growl. Lately, he had noticed that he was developing more of an appetite, probably thanks to Kyoko's constant, delicious cooking.

"Guess I should buy some things at the market." He said, clicking the button on the elevator to go to the floor in his building where the market was.

Half an hour later, he was heading back to the elevator when he heard his phone ringing in his pocket. He juggled the grocery bags into one hand and answered his phone.

"Hello, this is Ren."

"Tsuruga-san," a panicked voice came on the other end, "Have you seen Kyoko-chan?"

Ren felt his heart skip a beat as he pressed the button for his floor on the elevator. "No, why? Yukia, what's wrong?"

"We just got home a few minutes ago, and Kyoko-chan is gone. She took all of her things with her too." Yukia explained quickly.

Ren could feel panic rising in his chest. "She didn't leave a note or anything?"

"No, and we can't get through to her phone. Do you think she could be out wandering around?"

"Maybe." He cursed under his breath. "And it's raining out too." The elevator dinged to signal it had reached his floor. "Just let me drop something off at my apartment and then I'll head out to help you look."

He hurried down the hallway. He could hear Yukia explaining things to James through the phone. But as he reached his front door he stopped, feeling relief wash over him.

"Yukia-kun," he said into the phone, "Never mind. You don't have to worry. It looks like she came home."

Ren felt the urge to smile as he watched the girl he loved. She was sitting on her suitcase outside of his apartment. When she noticed him, she stood, a determined look on her face.

He pulled the phone away from his ear, simultaneously ending the call. Without knowing he did so, his feet began to move forward until he was standing in front of her.

"Kyoko," he whispered her name.

Her determined look stayed in place. "I need to talk to you, Corn."

* * *

 **A/N: Yay! I'm so excited to write the next chapter. I will have it up wednesday. :) thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: …Piece By Piece

"Kyoko," Ren whispered her name.

Her determined look stayed in place. "I need to talk to you, Corn."

Ren stared at her for a moment, before nodding. "Of course, let's go inside." He stepped past her and unlocked the door. "I can get your bag." He offered, but she picked it up on her own and moved past him into the apartment.

 _This is going to be interesting._ He thought to himself as he stepped into his kitchen to put away the groceries he had bought.

"Did you want some tea?" he called out to where Kyoko was sitting in the living room.

"No thank you." He heard her response.

Ren could feel himself getting nervous as he returned to the living room. He sat down on the couch next to Kyoko and watched her.

Kyoko clenched and unclenched her fists in her lap. She had spent the last couple of hours figuring out exactly what to say to him but now that he was there it was getting more difficult.

She took a deep breath, "The first thing I need to say is that, I'm not decided on if I'm moving back in here or not. There are some things we need to talk about before I can decide that."

Ren nodded, trying to encourage her to keep talking. _If it gets you to move back, I'll do anything you ask._

She turned and looked him in the eyes. "Do you know why I moved out?" she asked.

He blinked, surprised by the sudden question. "I figured it was because I lied to you."

"I left because," she closed her eyes to try and maintain her composure. "You still don't trust me. And knowing that Ren Tsuruga and Corn are the same person means that Corn didn't trust me either."

Ren could feel his heart breaking at her words. "It's not that I don't trust you."

"Then why didn't you tell me the truth? Why did you lie to me?"

He hung his head, "I was scared. I was scared that if you found out the truth you'd leave me and everything would end." He glanced back at her. "But I guess that happened by me not telling you too."

"Well, I'm here now. So tell me everything." Kyoko tried to sound confident but her voice had wavered.

He nodded, "Okay, but if I'm going to tell you everything, I think we are going to need some tea."

Kyoko watched as he rose and left the room. _I'm finally going to find out about Ren's past. Ugh! Why won't my hands stop shaking?_ She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "Calm down, Kyoko. Just calm down."

She was startled by the sound of the tea tray being set on the table before her. Ren looked at her, "Are you okay, Kyoko?"

She straightened out immediately. "Yes! Yes, I'm fine. Just a little cold I guess."

He held out a cup of tea towards her. "Well, this should help warm you up." He gave her a gentle smile that he hoped wouldn't betray his nervousness before sitting next to her again.

He took a sip from his cup to calm himself, then began to talk. "I guess, I should start at the beginning. My real name is Kuon Hizuri."

Kyoko choked on her tea. "Wait, so your name was never Corn?" She set the cup on back on the tray without taking her eyes off of him.

 _That's what she noticed?_ Ren shook his head, trying not to laugh. "But that was easier for you to say so I let you call me that."

He watched as Kyoko's face tinged pink, but then her eyes widened. "Did you say Hizuri? As in Kuu Hizuri?" she asked.

Ren nodded, "Yes, Kuu Hizuri is my father."

There was a loud thump as Kyoko slipped off the couch. Ren moved to help her back up.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"But, if you're Kuu Hizuri's son and your name is Kuon…" she paused staring at him wide-eyed. "Oh my- that means I was acting as you." Her face had now gone from pink to red as she tried to process what this all meant.

He watched as the look on her face changed from embarrassment to something he couldn't name. She scooted away from him a bit.

"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kyoko twirled her fingers around each other. "Um, well it's just that… if you are Kuu Hizuri's son… and I'm his adoptive daughter… then aren't we siblings?"

Ren was confused for a moment then shocked. "No, Kyoko." He said, trying not to laugh. "It's not really the same thing."

She nodded. "Does that mean I shouldn't call him 'Father' anymore?"

Ren reached out and touched her head, "I think he'd be pretty upset if you stopped calling him 'Father'. He's really happy that you consider him family. And it makes me happy too."

Kyoko gave him a small smile. _Just with the little bit he's told me, I'm starting to feel better._ Then she remembered something. "But, Ren, if he's your dad, then why did he warn me about you?"

"What did he warn you about?" Ren asked, silently wondering if he'd have to scold his dad for something later.

"He said that you're a playboy. And that if you ever tried something immoral he'd fly over to lecture you about respecting me." Kyoko laughed at the memory. It was so much sillier now knowing the truth about that.

Ren ran a hand through his hair. _What kind of things is my dad saying to my girlfriend?_ He'd definitely be calling him later.

"Well, aside from that. You wanted to know about my secrets I've kept from you, right? Then I'll tell you everything."

Kyoko listened as Ren told her about growing up in America with his father as a famous Hollywood actor. She was awed when she learned about his mother, who was the beautiful model he had told her about before. It made her wonder what had led to him leaving his family to return to Japan.

"When I was ten years old, my father decided to bring me with him on a business trip and while we were here I met you. The cute little Japanese girl who believed I was a fairy." He reached out and caressed the side of Kyoko's blushing face.

"When I returned home, things got worse. In the beginning it was just people comparing me to my father but as I got older, people began to expect me to be at his level of acting already. I got fired multiple times from acting jobs because I would fight with the directors."

"On top of that, I was bullied for being half Japanese. I didn't tell my parents because they were busy enough without worrying about me. But looking back maybe I should have." He stopped talking for a moment, lost deep in his own thoughts.

Kyoko coughed to get his attention. "So, what brought you to Japan?" she asked. Hearing about his past saddened her because of the things he had been through, but she was also happy that he was allowing her to hear it all.

"When I was fifteen, my best friend died because of my recklessness. I was constantly getting into fights and he tried to stop me. By doing so, he was in a car accident and died. His girlfriend blamed me. Maybe she still does." His voice was quiet, but Kyoko was listening intently, the only other sound was the rain outside of the building.

Kyoko lay a hand on his arm. She wasn't sure there was anything she could say to make him feel better. _I don't want to say something without being able to fully understand the situation, but I have a feeling your friend wouldn't want you to blame yourself._

Ren gave her a small smile before continuing. "I had a lot of trouble dealing with Rick's death in the following weeks. Shortly thereafter, the President came and offered to bring me to Japan under a stage name. I could start over completely. It was a choice I had to make without almost any time to consider how it would affect my parents, but I chose to come here."

"When your dad came to Japan, was that the first time you've seen him since then?" Kyoko asked.

Ren nodded. He felt guilty admitting it to her. "I didn't contact my parents at all the first five years after I moved here. It wasn't until my dad came here that I finally got to see him. I still haven't seen my mom since I left."

Kyoko grasped his hand in her own. "Maybe you can go see them soon?" she suggested.

"I think I'd like that," he looked into her eyes. "Will you come with me when I go?"

Her eyes widened, "I- I don't know if I should."

"Why not? I'm sure Mother would love to meet you."

When she saw his smile, she found herself agreeing. "That would be really wonderful." Kyoko glanced down at where their hands were laced together. "At what point did you realize who I was?"

"At what point?" he asked confusedly.

She nodded, "Because you were really mean to me in the beginning so I've assumed it took a while for you to figure it out. Because Corn would've never been mean to me." She turned to meet his eyes but found he had looked away.

"When?" she asked in a threatening tone.

He sighed, _I guess this is when I die._ "Since that day when I picked up the stone for you. I heard what you called it and realized it was you."

Kyoko smacked him on the head.

"Ow!" he cried. He turned towards her but she had turned away, pouting.

"I thought you were my friend, _Corn._ "

He winced at the tone of her voice. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a big idiot. But I was very happy when I got to meet you as me in Guam."

He saw Kyoko's whole body stiffen.

"Guam…?"

 _Had she not realized about that until now?_ Ren was suddenly smacked again, this time by a pillow. When he looked up to meet Kyoko's eyes, he saw a fire in them.

"You tricked me… into kissing you." Her face flushed but he was pretty sure it was more from embarrassment than anger.

He pulled her into his arms and put his mouth next to her ear. "I'm sorry for that. I know I shouldn't have tricked you, but what I said back then was true. I love you."

Kyoko relaxed into his arms after a moment. She pushed herself away slightly and looked up at his face. "I love you too. Even if you are an idiotic playboy." Ren could see a teasing glint in her eye and he couldn't resist kissing her.

They pulled apart after several moments. "Can I move back in?" Kyoko asked quietly.

Ren placed a kiss on her temple. "This is your home, so of course you can."

She smiled at him. "Just promise me, no more secrets. We have to be able to tell each other the important things. We have to trust each other."

He nodded. "No more secrets or lies."

She leaned back into his arms, sighing happily at feeling the embrace she had been missing the last few days.

Behind her she felt a vibration and heard the sound of a stomach growling, except this time it wasn't hers. She jumped forward. "Did your stomach growl?" she asked, staring at him strangely.

A light blush colored Ren's face. "Well, I didn't exactly eat dinner." He confessed.

Kyoko remembered he had been carrying grocery bags when he'd arrived home. She smiled at him. "Should I cook dinner for us?"

"Yes!" he answered a bit too enthusiastically.

She laughed, "Did you miss my cooking?"

"I got used to having a good cook around all the time." He admitted. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek before heading into the kitchen to cook dinner.

Ren leaned back against the couch feeling amazed at how quickly things had gone back to feeling normal. _She's home. She's really home._

A few hours later, Ren and Kyoko were lying in their bed. They had eaten dinner and takes care of the dishes. Then Kyoko had unpacked her things. After everything they were both exhausted and quickly settled in to go to sleep. But surprisingly, Kyoko found herself unable to fall asleep. She tossed and turned for several minutes.

 _Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?_ She wondered. _We figured everything out and made amends. We even promised no more secrets._ She closed her eyes but they reopened a second later.

Kyoko sat up and reached over to shake Ren awake. "Ren," she whispered. There was no response so she shook him harder. "Ren!"

He opened his eyes and stared up at her through the darkness. "What's wrong?" he replied groggily. He was finally able to get good sleep again, because she was back but now she was waking him up again.

She took a deep breath. "I'm Bo."

Ren continued to stare at her, his face blank. "Are you sleep-talking?" he asked.

Kyoko sighed, "Ren, I'm the chicken." She braced herself for his reaction.

Ren was confused. _A chicken? What?_ He wondered. Finally, his brain started working. Images flashed through his brain of him telling all his secrets to a large costumed chicken, who apparently was named Bo.

He was wide awake now. He sat up in bed and turned on his bedside lamp. "Wait, so you were in the chicken costume?" he asked her.

Kyoko stared back down at the blanket. "We promised no more secrets, but I forgot I was still keeping that one. I play Bo on Kimagure Rock. I was the one who listened to you talk and said so many terribly rude things to you." She was on the verge of tears, waiting for him to explode at her in anger.

Instead, she heard him snort. She turned her head to look at him and he had his hand covering his mouth. Finally, his laughter won out and he had to hold his stomach because of the fit he was having.

Kyoko watched him indignantly. "I don't get what's so funny about this." She mumbled.

Ren calmed enough to respond. "I just don't see how you never figured out I was in love with you." He said, a chuckle escaping his lips.

Kyoko stared at him open-mouthed as she thought back to their discussion about love back during the filming of Dark Moon. What was it she had told him? She gasped and covered her mouth as her face turned red. _Didn't I tell him to seduce the girl he was in love with? Wait, but that means that's what he was doing when we acted together here._

Ren watched as Kyoko pulled the blanket up covering her body. "So you invited me here that night when we acted as Katsuki and Mizuki to try and seduce me?" she exclaimed.

Ren lost himself to another fit of laughter at the horrified look on her face. He could've been angry if he had tried, but what did all of it matter now. They were back together and Kyoko was happy. That was really all he cared about.

* * *

 **A/N: So so sorry it's late! I worked really hard to make this chapter just right so I hhope you enjoyed it! This stories still got more left so don't worry about it being almost over lol I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve. Next chapter will be up asap. Thank you my faithful readers and reviewrs!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Making Apologies and Adjustments

The next morning when Ren woke up, he panicked. He was alone in his bed, and there was no sign of Kyoko. _Don't tell me I dreamed all of that._ He thought as he hurried out of bed and walked down the hall.

His search quickly showed that the bathroom was unoccupied as well as the living room. But when he reached the living room the smell of food filled his senses. He stepped into the doorway of the kitchen and smiled as he watched Kyoko move about quickly.

"Are you just going to stand in the doorway?" she called without turning around.

"How did you-"

Kyoko glanced back at him, a playful gleam in her eye. "I could feel you watching me." She moved over to a cabinet and brought down a coffee mug. "You can go get ready. Breakfast will be done in about ten minutes." She told him.

Ren nodded, but he didn't leave the kitchen. Instead he took a few long steps towards her until he was close enough to wrap his arms around her.

"Ren, I'm trying to cook." She scolded him. But he could see that her face had turned red and could hear the lack of seriousness in her tone.

He sighed, resting his head on her shoulder. "You scared me. I woke up and you weren't there." He paused, "I thought I had dreamed it all."

Kyoko looked at him and smiled before giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "Don't worry. I'm right here."

They stared into each other's eyes for several moments, before Ren broke the silence. He sniffed the air. "Is something burning?" he asked.

Kyoko's face turned bright red as she hurried back to the cooking. "Go get ready!" she called to him.

Ren stepped out of the kitchen, chuckling to himself. _At least this means today's filming should go better._

* * *

After breakfast, both Ren and Kyoko climbed into his car and drove to pick up Yashiro. When they reached his residence the manager stood dumbstruck outside of the car. "K- Kyoko-chan!" he exclaimed happily.

Kyoko bowed to him after stepping out of the car. "Good morning, Yashiro-san. I'm sorry if mine and Ren's personal issues got in the way of your work."

Yashiro shook his head. "No, of course not, Kyoko-chan. Don't worry about me."

Kyoko smiled at him. "I'll be climbing in the back then so you can have the front seat." She told him.

Yashiro waved his hands around in objection. "No, Kyoko-chan, you should ride in front. Besides," he leaned down to whisper to her. "I'm sure Ren would rather have you next to him than me."

His words froze Kyoko long enough for him to climb in the backseat. It wasn't until Ren called her name that she realized what had happened and gave in to sitting in the front. _That man is so tricky. I think I underestimated him._ She found herself thinking as they drove to the studio.

* * *

"I apologize for delaying the filming yesterday." Kyoko told the director as she bowed before him.

"Do you feel ready for it today?" he asked.

Kyoko nodded. "Yes, Director-san. I think we'll have no problem accomplishing it today."

The director was smiling as he glanced behind Kyoko to where Ren was watching. _I thought something was off about those two. Maybe they had a fight or something._ He brushed it off. "As long as we can finish the assigned filming today, we should still be able to maintain our schedule."

"Of course, Director-san!" she exclaimed happily before hurrying off. _Just one more thing I need to take care of before we start._ She made her way down the hall, passing her dressing room and the make up room. She raised a fist and knocked on the door of her co-star's dressing room.

The door opened a moment later to reveal James. "Good morning, Kyoko-chan. Please come in." he greeted her, stepping aside to allow her entry.

She stepped into the room and saw Yukia sitting on a chair with a script in his lap. He smiled at her as she entered.

"Kyoko-chan, it's good to see you. How are you doing?" he asked as he stood up.

Kyoko smiled, "It's good to see you too. I'm doing much better today." She suddenly bowed to him. "I must apologize for my behavior yesterday. I'm sorry to have worried you by leaving so suddenly. I even forgot to leave a note to tell you where I had gone. I'm a terrible houseguest." She sighed as she finished her long-winded apology.

Yukia chuckled, "Kyoko-chan, thank you for your apology but it's okay. I wasn't upset with you." She looked up at him and saw that his eyes were sparkling as he and James watched her.

"We are just glad to hear that things are better between you and Tsuruga-san." James said.

Kyoko blushed. "Thank you. I will try not to trouble you two again."

"Well, you can trouble us a little." Yukia told her, "Why don't you and Tsuruga-san come over for dinner sometime next week?"

Kyoko nodded excitedly. "That would be wonderful! And we would be happy to return the invitation as well. I'd love the opportunity to properly thank you both with a meal."

"That sounds great," Yukia replied. He glanced at a clock on the wall nearby. "Aren't you supposed to be in make-up right now?" he asked, looking concerned.

Kyoko's eyes widened as she realized the time. "Oh no! I'm late." She hurried out the door calling a hasty good bye behind her.

"It's good to see her back to her usual self." James said, as he watched the door she had just run through.

Yukia nodded, "I hope things will be calm for her for a while." He returned to his seat and continued looking over the script in his hands.

* * *

Some time later, Kyoko and Ren were back on set and in character as they stood in what appeared to be an empty school courtyard.

"So, your boyfriend isn't here. Did you dump him yet?" Satoshi asked, as he moved closers to Kimi. He rested his arm on the wall above her.

Kimi glared up at him. "I don't see why that is any of your concern. Also you aren't allowed on school grounds. Do I need to call security to escort you out again?" she threatened, trying to hide the fact that her knees were shaking.

Satoshi laughed at her as he reached out to touch a strand of her hair. "To do that you'd have to get away from me first, now wouldn't you?"

Kimi slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me." She hissed.

Satoshi's eyes darkened and he grabbed ahold of Kimi's arm causing her to drop her phone. He pulled her to him roughly encasing her in his arms. With one hand he grabbed her chin and forced her head towards him before pressing his mouth against hers.

The kiss lasted several seconds with Kimi struggling to free herself from his grasp. Finally, she managed to shove him away.

"How dare you!" she spat. Kimi raised a hand to slap him but he caught it in mid-air.

"Why don't you run along to your little boyfriend now? Unless you want me to kiss you again that badly." His tone was teasing but Kimi saw the darkness in his eyes and could feel her hair stand on end.

Satoshi released his grip and turned to leave. As soon as he was out of sight, Kimi lost the ability to stand. Her knees went weak beneath her and she collapsed to the ground, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"Cut!" the director called loudly, startling some of the people watching. "That was beautiful! Perfection!"

Ren had returned to Kyoko's side and extended a hand to help her up.

"Thank you." She told him, her cheeks slightly pink. She was just now realizing how many people had been standing around to watch their scene. _I guess that is a pretty intense scene._

She could see some people whispering nearby but couldn't hear their words. _I wonder if my acting wasn't good enough compared to Ren. Maybe it was obvious how inexperienced I am compared to him._ She felt doubtful of herself as the adrenaline from the scene wore off.

"You did great. Don't worry." Ren whispered into her ear.

She jumped at his sudden speech and felt her blush deepen. "Thank you. So did you." She said softly, looking anywhere but his eyes.

Ren patted her on the head before stepping away to get ready for the next scene. Kyoko touched her hands to the side of her warm face before smiling.

After a few more scenes, Kyoko remembered what she and Yukia had discussed. She turned to Ren where they waited by the refreshment table.

"I forgot to tell you, Yukia-kun and James-san invited us to come over next week for dinner." She told him, "They asked me to check with you about what day works best."

Ren looked thoughtful, "Maybe Tuesday? That's the last day of filming for you two and I have a pretty light work load that day also."

Kyoko nodded, "That'll be perfect!" she exclaimed. "I'd better go tell them." She said before hurrying off in their direction.

Ren watched her with a smile on his face. _Finally, things are back to normal again._

* * *

That night after they had finished filming, Ren and Kyoko drove back to their apartment in a peaceful silence. They were both enveloped in their own thoughts. Ren was feeling content. He had the woman he loved back by his side and he didn't plan to ever let her leave him again. Kyoko likewise felt more at ease now that she and Ren had figured things out but she was still conflicted. She found it was more difficult than she had expected to accept the fact that Ren and Corn were the same person.

When they got home, Kyoko changed out of her work clothes before heading to the kitchen to prepare a small snack to have with some tea. As she put together some sandwiches, her mind wandered.

 _I wonder what kind of advice Corn would tell me in this kind of situation…_ she found herself thinking. She paused in the middle of sandwich making. _What am I thinking? He is Corn! They aren't two separate people anymore._ She shook her head as she put the sandwiches onto a plate. _Not that they ever were two people._

She looked up to begin setting out tea cups and saw Ren watching her from the other side of the counter. He had an amused look on his face that turned into laughter after hearing Kyoko cry out in surprise.

"You looked like you were scolding those sandwiches pretty harshly." He told her teasingly.

Kyoko turned away to hide her blush. "Don't tease me like that, Corn!" she scolded. The next second she clapped her hands over her mouth. She glanced at Ren to see his reaction. "I'm sorry, Ren." She began immediately. "It just slipped out."

Ren moved over to her when he saw how much she was panicking. He leaned down to look at her face. "Kyoko, it's okay." He told her. He reached out and stroked her cheek.

Kyoko met his eyes and her own eyes widened. "You- your eyes. They are green!" she exclaimed. And indeed, his usually brown eyes were currently the brilliant green that naturally resided beneath his colored contacts.

He chuckled but didn't move away from her. "Yes, I figured if I didn't need to wear the contacts all the time, I could take them off now." He paused, "That is, if you don't mind." The last thing he wanted was to cause Kyoko more distress by reminding her of someone she didn't want to be reminded of.

She shook her head. "I don't mind. I've always loved your green eyes." She blushed when she realized what she'd said. "I didn't mean that I don't like your eyes when they're brown though." She quickly stated trying to backtrack in case she had offended him.

He smiled at her though and Kyoko felt her knees go weak. "And I don't mind if you call me 'Corn'. You can call me whatever makes you happy, whether it be Ren, Corn, or Kuon."

Kyoko could feel her eyes filling with tears as she threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Corn." She murmured against his chest. "I really am so glad to have you back with me."

Ren placed a kiss on the top of her head. "It's good to be back with you too."

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for your patience! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I still have a few more chapters planned because there's more for this story:) so don't worry. Hehe! See you again soon!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Dinner and Decisions

The following Tuesday, Ren and Kyoko drove to Yukia's apartment after work. They had stopped at home briefly to change into different clothes before heading over. Kyoko gave Ren directions as he drove and soon they parked in a parking garage next to the large apartment building. It wasn't as fancy as where Ren lived but it was still nicer than anything Kyoko had been used to before.

They climbed out of the car and Kyoko led them to the elevator. She clicked the button for the correct floor and waited patiently for the elevator to reach its destination. Ren reached out and took hold of her hand, startling her. He chuckled, seeing her jump.

"You seemed nervous so I thought I'd try to relax you but I think I made it worse." He teased. He gave her hand a small squeeze.

Kyoko smiled at him. "Sorry. Yes, I'm nervous since it's our first time going over to someone's house for dinner as a couple."

"I guess you're right." Ren replied. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry. I won't do anything to embarrass you."

She felt her face flush. "That's not what I was worried about!" she argued as the elevator reached its destination.

Ren laughed, before stepping out of the elevator. Kyoko followed after him shaking her head at his teasing. If it was possible, it seemed he had begun teasing her more ever since finding out he was Corn.

"What's the apartment number?" Ren asked.

"5-D," Kyoko responded, pointing to the door they had just reached.

Ren rang the doorbell and they waited for a moment before they heard the sound of the door unlocking. The door opened and Yukia greeted then with a smile.

"Tsuruga-san, Kyoko-chan, welcome!" he stepped back to allow them entry.

After stepping inside, Ren turned to Yukia. "Thank you for having us. Although, I don't think you need to call me by 'Tsuruga-san' anymore." He said with a smile.

Yukia looked uncertain, and his eyes flickered to Kyoko momentarily. She smiled and nodded. "You could just call him, 'Ren-san'." She suggested.

Yukia nodded, "Is that all right with you, Ren-san?"

The older actor laughed, "That's fine."

"Where's James-san?" Kyoko asked, glancing around the living room they had entered.

Yukia pointed towards the kitchen. "He's in there cooking dinner. I think he wanted to show off his cooking talents after you cooked for us the last time." Yukia whispered the last part to ensure that James wouldn't hear them.

Kyoko laughed and Ren smiled at this admission. There was something relaxing about being with friends. Especially when those friends happened to know your secrets.

Twenty minutes later, the four of them sat down around the dining table.

"The food is delicious!" Kyoko gushed after tasting some of her dinner.

James looked pleased at her compliment. "Thank you, Kyoko-chan."

Ren nodded, "Yes, it's very good."

Yukia stifled a laugh at the proud look on his boyfriend's face, causing James to shoot a not so subtle glare at him.

"How did filming go today?" Ren asked when they had continued eating.

Kyoko was silent so Yukia answered. "It went really well. There weren't any issues and Kyoko-chan hardly had any retakes."

Ren looked at his girlfriend who was stirring around her food. "Really? That's great."

Kyoko nodded, and Ren could see the sad look on her face. "Yeah, but now it's over." She finally said with a sigh.

Ren chuckled, "But that just means you get to move on the next great thing you'll do." He said trying to cheer her up. He glanced back at Yukia. "Do you have any other jobs lined up yet?" he asked.

Yukia nodded, "James managed to get me an audition last week for a new drama and they decided I was good for the part."

"That's really great, Yukia-kun." Kyoko said happily. She was grateful that his decision to move to Japan was working out as they'd hoped.

"And he's had a few offers to appear in commercials or as a guest on a drama." James mentioned.

"Wow!" Kyoko exclaimed, "And to think I don't have much of anything planned now aside from a small role on a drama that's already airing. I start filming with them next week."

"What about the drama you're auditioning for Friday? That's a main role." Ren asked.

Kyoko blushed, "I didn't really want to say anything until I knew if I would get it." She admitted looking down.

"But if you don't tell us then we can't be rooting for you!" Yukia told her.

Kyoko smiled at her friend. "Thanks. I'm hoping I'll be successful."

"That means we can celebrate your success at the wrap party Friday night." James said.

Ren nodded, "That's right, their doing the wrap party for your drama on the night it premiers right?"

Kyoko laughed. "Yeah, but I don't know about celebrating. I may just need cheering up if I don't get it."

She felt Ren's hand grasp hers under the table and glanced at him. In his eyes she could see his thoughts. _Don't worry. You'll be great._ She blushed at his gaze before turning back to pick up her plate. She stood quickly. "Please, let me help with the dishes."

Yukia and James exchanged a meaningful glance as Kyoko stepped over to the sink. They had noticed the moment she'd shared with Ren and her attempt to avoid him due to shyness.

"Why don't Kyoko-chan and I do the dishes while you two talk?" Yukia suggested.

Ren and James agreed before exiting the kitchen to sit in the living room.

"Did you want a beer?" James offered.

Ren nodded, "Thanks." And accepted the drink James handed him.

They were quiet for several moments before James spoke. "It's nice to see you two together."

Ren smiled, "I'm just glad I was able to fix this."

"If Kyoko-chan is the type of person I think she is, then I'd be surprised if she hadn't forgiven you."

Ren stared down at the bottle in his hand. "Yeah. She's an amazing person like that."

"She's had her heart broken before, right?" James asked, softly.

Ren nodded, "That's why I thought she might just leave. I think I wound up hurting her much worse than he did."

"But you must have done something right then." James said with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess so." Ren agreed, taking another drink from his beer.

Kyoko and Yukia were quiet as they washed and dried the dishes.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Kyoko asked.

Yukia shrugged, as he handed her another plate to dry. "Who knows?" he said with a laugh.

Kyoko smiled slightly. "I'm really going to miss working with you, Yukia-kun." She admitted softly.

Yukia beamed at her words. "I'm going to miss working with you too. I hope I'll get the chance again." He turned to look at her, pausing in his washing. "You are my first friend here in Japan, so I think I'm really lucky that I got to co-star with you."

Kyoko felt tears prick her eyes at his kind words. "Thank you, Yukia-kun. I'm really glad that we are friends too."

Soon the evening was over and Ren and Kyoko returned to the car for the ride home.

"Did you have a good time?" Kyoko asked, glancing towards Ren.

He nodded, "Did you?"

"Yes." She answered, "I think we are very lucky to have such great friends like them."

Ren smiled as he reached over to take Kyoko's hand. "I think you are very right."

* * *

The rest of the week flew by and soon it was Friday. Kyoko woke up early to get ready for her audition. She made breakfast for Ren while he got ready before heading to the bathroom to take a shower.

After her shower she stared at her reflection in the mirror. "I'm going to do my best today so I can get this role." She told herself firmly.

Kyoko quickly dressed into a knee-length gray skirt and a light blue top. She was careful to fix her hair and put on a small amount of make up. _Nothing too bold, just enough so I don't disappear in the crowd._ She instructed herself silently.

Finally, she stepped out of the bathroom and moved back into the living room. Ren looked up from his food when she entered. He smiled.

"You look very beautiful." He told her, his voice sweet enough to make her blush.

Kyoko muttered a thank you before heading back to their bedroom to collect her bag. Ren followed her and stood in the doorway watching her.

"Good luck on your audition today. What drama was it for again?"

Kyoko opened her mouth to respond, but caught herself. She shot a glare towards her boyfriend. "I told you. I'm not telling you what drama it is." She turned away again to close her bag.

Moments later, Ren's arms slipped around her stomach, embracing her tightly. "I don't know why it has to be a secret."

She felt her heart skip a beat as his breath touched her ear. "Because, I don't want to jinx it by telling anyone. It's already bad enough that you told Yukia-kun and James-san about it." She had tried to sound firm as she scolded him but her resolve had weakened at the feel of him so close to her.

Ren chuckled at her ear. "Well, I'm sure you'll do great no matter what." He pulled away slightly and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Shall we get going then?" he asked.

Kyoko nodded, trying to regain her composure. _That's right. No matter how much I want to I can't tell Ren that I'm auditioning for the new drama he's going to be in. I'd hate to have him try to pull strings to get me the job or worse be disappointed when I don't get it. I'll tell him tonight though. No matter what the outcome._ She silently promised as she headed out the door to their apartment.

* * *

They had parked at LME with the plan that Kyoko would head to her audition from there in a taxi. She had tried to refuse the money Ren had given her for her ride but had failed. She hailed a taxi successfully after only a few minutes, and after climbing in and giving the driver directions to the studio, Kyoko heard her phone ring. She answered it quickly upon seeing the caller ID.

"Hello, President." She greeted Lory Takarada.

"Mogami-kun," he said cheerfully. "What's your schedule today?"

"My schedule?" she asked. When he only made a noise of agreement she continued, "I'm heading to an audition right now, and I have the wrap party for _Keishi_ tonight but that's it for today."

"Could I ask you to please stop by my office after your audition then? I have something important I'd like to discuss with you about the LoveMe section." The President explained.

"Of course, sir. I'll see you after my audition." She agreed. After they hung up Kyoko stared at her phone silently wondering what was in store for her that afternoon.

After the audition, Kyoko felt exhausted. She had been fighting anxiety the entire time worrying over if she'd get the part or not. The director and producers had been kind and fair during the audition and had said they would get back to everyone by that evening.

Now, Kyoko found herself in a taxi heading back to LME. She was grateful that the director had provided box lunches for the actresses auditioning because she had to head straight to her meeting with the President. When she reached his office, she knocked on the large doors. One was opened a moment later to reveal the President's assistant, Sebastian.

"Good afternoon," Kyoko greeted him.

He gave a nod towards Kyoko as he welcomed her inside of the entry to the large office. He gestured for Kyoko to wait there and left the room to return a moment later with the President.

Kyoko bowed low. "Good afternoon, President."

"Good afternoon, Mogami-kun." He said and she could hear that his voice was slightly less enthusiastic.

"What did you need to talk to me about, sir?" she asked.

The President looked thoughtful as he touched his chin. "Well, there is a slight situation regarding the LoveMe section and our agency as a whole." His voice was serious as he led her closer to the door to his main office. "And I need your help to make an important decision."

Kyoko's mouth went dry. "My help?" she managed to choke out.

The President nodded, then opened the door and led her into the office. Sitting on one of the couches in the middle of the room was a young man. Kyoko froze in place as her eyes met his blue ones.

"Shotaro?"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: A special thank you to all of my patient readers and loyal reviewers! Your reviews really keep me motivated! Here's chapter 15, it's a Lil longer than my other chapters. This is not the last chapter. I think I've still got about 5 chapters left at least. Hope you enjoy this chapter, it was a lot of fun to write. Thank you again!**

* * *

Chapter 15: The Beginning and The End

Kyoko stared in shock at the man sitting on the President's couch. His blond hair had lost some of its shine. His clothes looked worn, as did his shoes. He had certainly gotten thinner. But the thing she noticed most- the thing that made her doubt if it was really him- was the lack of his cocky smile he always wore. There was no confidence in this man. She would have sworn it wasn't him until his blue eyes met her amber ones.

"Shotaro?" she asked quietly.

The President brought Kyoko closer and had her sit on the couch opposite Sho, while he sat in his chair. "Shotaro-kun has requested to meet with both of us. He has already told me what he needed to, but I thought it'd be best for him to talk to you as well." He nodded towards Sho and the younger man gave a slight nod in return.

Sho's eyes met Kyoko's again before he began to speak. "Kyoko, I-" he struggled forcing the words out of his mouth. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for my behavior towards you. Not just the most recent incident, but everything. Including my stupid decision to bring you along with me to Tokyo by lying to you. I'm sorry for always trying to ruin your life."

Kyoko watched in stunned silence as the boy she had never really known to apologize, was doing just that. He stood from his seat and moved to an open space of carpet before lowering himself to the ground. He kneeled and bowed in front of Kyoko.

Her first instinct was to tell him to get up because the sight of him bowing to her was disturbing. She had never thought she'd actually see him do this. When he didn't raise his head after several moments, Kyoko spoke.

"Shotaro, you can get up now." She told him quietly.

He slowly raised his head but didn't stand. Instead he watched her with anticipation and pleading eyes.

Seeing him this way unnerved her. She wanted to run from the room. Instead she forced herself to answer him honestly. "I appreciate and accept your apology. And I have already forgiven you. I gave up on holding grudges against you when Ren and I began dating."

Sho nodded solemnly. She watched as he rose to his feet and bowed to her once more. "Thank you, Kyoko." He said before returning to his seat on the couch.

Kyoko glanced back to the president uncertainly. "But- I don't understand. When you called me you said this affected the LoveMe section as well as the entire agency."

Lory nodded, he was pleased at Kyoko's decision to forgive Sho but he knew his next question was a bit more difficult.

"Shotaro-kun has come to LME because he is requesting to join our agency. Ever since Akatoki fired him, he has been unable to find other work or representation. Apparently, no one wants to take a chance on someone blacklisted by one of the biggest agencies in Japan."

Kyoko nodded, her eyes darting back and forth between the President and Sho. Her mind was racing, Sho wanted to join LME. If he hadn't been working, how was he making any money.

"It would seem, Shotaro-kun has run out of money recently and decided we were his only option." The President continued.

Sho looked down at the ground. Kyoko could tell he felt embarrassed at having to come beg for a job at the one place where he would be most likely rejected.

"Where are you living?" Kyoko asked suddenly.

Sho looked up, "Um, I've been living off of the last of my money until now. But I have to be out of my apartment by morning. I'm not sure where I'm going after that."

Kyoko searched his eyes for signs that he was lying. Certainly, at one point she had wanted to have Sho groveling at her feet praising her, but she had never wanted to see him a failure at something she knew he loved.

Kyoko turned back to the President. "Why am I here?" she asked.

The President smiled. "Because you'll be making this decision. You were the one most affected by his previous actions and if you don't want him working here, I'll have him leave immediately." He paused and leaned closer to Kyoko. "But don't you think he could use something like the LoveMe section?" he whispered.

Kyoko's eyes went wide. _The LoveMe section? But, would Shotaro ever lower himself to that level? No. Although, he did bow to me._ Kyoko thought of Ren for a moment. How would Ren react to this. _Well, he said he trusts me._

"I am not opposed to Shotaro joining the agency in the appropriate section." Kyoko said to the President. "As long as he is willing to follow all the guidelines and requirements for the job."

Sho stared at them as he processed what this meant. Was she saying he could join LME? The president guy had said it was up to her, right?

The President nodded. "Very well then, Shotaro-kun. Welcome to LME! You will be in the LoveMe section starting tomorrow. Mogami-kun is the mentor for the LoveMe section and you will regard her as a Senpai there. You will also be allowed to work closely with our Singers section and I'll set an appointment for you to meet with the head of that section next week."

Sho stood quickly and bowed to the president. "Thank you very much." He replied.

The President stood and placed a hand on Sho's shoulder. "I'm expecting you to work hard to prove you deserve this chance."

"I won't disappoint you." Sho promised.

"You can leave for today, but report to the LoveMe section at nine o'clock tomorrow morning." The President instructed.

A moment later, Sebastian was there to escort Sho out of the office. Kyoko rose to her feet but the president gestured for her to sit again.

"Was there something else, sir?" she asked as she returned to her seat.

The President smiled at her. "I'm proud of you in your decision to accept him into the LoveMe section."

Kyoko twisted her hands together in her lap. "I just figured that if the LoveMe section could help me as much as it did, it could probably help someone like Shotaro so much more."

The President's eyes watered at Kyoko's words. "I'm so happy to hear you say that the LoveMe section has helped you!" he gushed. But a moment later his face was serious again. "Now, I wanted to tell you that because the LoveMe section has grown I think you should do some sort of team building activity. Something to help you all learn to work together and to help those still in the LoveMe section to grow personally."

"But what kind of activity should we do?" Kyoko asked, "I'm not sure I know how to plan something like that."

The president smiled at her. "If you can come up with the idea, I can help you to make it happen. I'm relying on you, Mogami-kun."

* * *

As Kyoko stepped into the elevator, the President's words echoed in her mind. She leaned her head against the wall of the elevator. "How am I supposed to come up with something like that?" she wondered aloud. _Maybe Ren will have an idea?_ She shook her head as her thought processed. _No, I can't burden him with my work._ She sighed.

The new task she had received stayed at the forefront of Kyoko's mind as she arrived home and dressed for the wrap party that evening. One of the producers for the drama had offered his home for the party as well as for the viewing of the drama's first episode that would be airing at eight o'clock. Kyoko took out her dress from the closet. Ren had insisted on buying her something nice for the event and so she had been forced to accept the deep blue evening gown.

"At least I managed to talk him out of the make up and hair stylists." She said with a laugh as she laid the dress on the bed.

She was in the middle of curling her hair when her cell phone began to ring. She set down the curling iron, wondering who it could be. _Ren's supposed to be working until seven. And I already saw the president, so who?_ She stared at the unknown number on her caller ID before answering.

"This is Kyoko." She said calmly.

"Kyoko-kun, this is Director Kaneko. I was calling you about your audition today." The woman's voice on the other end of the line caused Kyoko to remember immediately.

"Yes! Of course, Director Kaneko. How can I help you?" she replied excitedly.

The director laughed, "Well, you can help me by accepting the role for our female lead in my new drama."

Kyoko was stunned. She felt the phone slip from her hand and hurriedly grabbed it at the last second before it hit the floor. "Director Kaneko? Sorry, um.. you said you chose me?" the young actress asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Kyoko-kun. We thought you were perfect for the role and we look forward to working with you."

Kyoko beamed, "Yes, I look forward to working with you all as well."

When Kyoko hung up after ensuring the script would be sent to her agency she stared at her reflection in the mirror. "I can't stop smiling!" she said, grinning at herself. She quickly returned to her hair and make up with renewed enthusiasm. She had been successful in her audition and she couldn't wait to tell Ren.

She paused in her actions. "But I also have to tell him about Sho." She groaned at the thought.

When six o'clock rolled around Kyoko slipped into her dress and put on the silver heels she owned. She grabbed her purse before heading down to the lobby of the apartment building. She greeted the doorman to the building with a smile.

"Hello, Takao-san. Could I ask you to call me a taxi for tonight?" she asked.

He admired her for a moment. "You look beautiful, Kyoko-sama." He said with a slight blush. Kyoko had figured him to be slightly older than Ren and he was always kind to her.

He looked at her in confusion now though. "But why do you need a taxi?" he asked. He pointed out the window to a limo parked in front of the building. "That car arrived about fifteen minutes ago and the driver said he was here to pick you up." He handed her a business card that he had received from the driver.

Kyoko took it and read it. Sure enough it was an LME business card with the President's name on it. She smiled and thanked Takao before exiting the building and approaching the limo. _The President sent a limo for me?_ She wondered.

The driver greeted her before opening the door for her.

"Thank you," she said sweetly.

He nodded to her. "Mogami-san, we will also be stopping to pick up Moore-san before heading to the party."

Kyoko smiled and nodded. As the door closed she let out a relieved sigh. "At least I won't have to ride in this huge car by myself." She spoke aloud. She quickly spotted a mini-fridge encased in one wall of the limo and opened it to take out a water bottle. Suddenly, with all the excitement of the day catching up to her, she was very thirsty.

As she stared out the window watching the city pass by, Kyoko tried to relax. _If I'm freaking out when Yukia-kun and James-san get in, they'll know something's wrong._ She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the side of the seat. "I'll just close my eyes for a second…"

* * *

"Kyoko-chan?"

 _What? Where am I?_ Kyoko's eyes blinked open and she saw Yukia and James watching her, their eyes full of concern.

Suddenly, she remembered where she was and she sat up, realizing she had been lying down across the soft cushioned bench.

Yukia smiled at her, "Hello, Kyoko-chan! I thought I should wake you up since we are almost at the party."

"We are? How long was I asleep?" she asked.

Yukia looked at James, who shrugged.

"Well, you were asleep when we got into the car, and then you've been asleep the last twenty minutes or so." He replied.

Kyoko blushed, "I can't believe I fell asleep on the way to the wrap party." She struggled to smooth out her dress. Then looked back towards Yukia, "Did I mess up my make up?"

He laughed and shook his head. "No, it still looks beautiful."

"Thank you." She responded. She was starting to feel more at ease now that they were with her. _I just have to make it through the party until Ren arrives._ She told herself silently.

Just then the limo stopped outside of a large gated property. She could hear their driver talking to someone over an intercom and a moment later the gate opened to allow them entry. The home inside the property was huge. It was bigger than Maria's house, which was saying something.

There was a long driveway that wrapped around through the landscape before curving in front of a decorative fountain. The car parked in front of the main stairs that lead up into the mansion. Kyoko took a deep breath as the car door opened and James and Yukia climbed out. Yukia then turned to offer her his arm.

"Please allow me to escort you into the party, Kyoko-chan." He said charmingly.

Kyoko smiled at him feeling some of her nervousness melt away as she took hold of his arm. He helped her out of the car and then led her up the stairs to the mansion's front door. There was a man dressed in formal clothing standing by a podium just inside the double door entry.

"Names?" he inquired.

Yukia spoke to the man, allowing Kyoko to focus instead on her surroundings. She found her eyes wandering the expanse of the large room. The room itself sat below the entry, down a small flight of stairs. There were tables with people standing around them eating hors d'oeuvres and drinking wine, as well as some people sitting on the few couches talking.

"Wow," Kyoko breathed the word out. She had known this was going to be a fancy party but she was still shocked by the amount of people who were there.

"Come on," Yukia said softly as he led her further into the party, James following close behind. Kyoko nodded, and followed him into the depths of the party.

As time passed and random people Kyoko wasn't familiar with came to talk to her, she found herself wishing Ren would arrive. Yukia had been swept away by some actresses who were fans of his and as she looked around she couldn't spot James anymore. She pulled her phone out of her small purse and checked the time. _7:45?_ She sighed as she placed the phone back in her bag. _I hope he gets here soon. This is lonely by myself._

Kyoko felt a tap on her shoulder. "Excuse me, Miss. Would you care for a glass of champagne?"

"No thank you, I've already got a drink." She said as she turned to see who was offering it. She froze in place at the sight of her boyfriend standing behind her with two glasses of champagne.

Ren smiled at her. "Sorry I'm late."

Kyoko's relief showed on her face. "I'm glad you made it." She quickly accepted one of the glasses from him and set it down on the table in front of her. "Yukia-kun got swept away by a bunch of girls and James-san disappeared too so I wasn't sure what to do with myself." She told him honestly.

Ren chuckled, "Well then, I guess it's a good thing I got here when I did." He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, causing Kyoko to blush deeply.

She swatted at him, "Don't do that in public!" she hissed. But she couldn't help but smile. She glanced around them. "Where's Yashiro-san?" she asked.

"Oh, he couldn't make it. He said he still had some work to finish." Ren explained, taking a sip from his glass.

Kyoko nodded. Just then, the lights dimmed and then brightened again, causing everyone to quiet. They all looked around before people noticed the host of the party standing near a doorway of the room.

"Thank you all for joining us at the wrap party for _Keishi_! We think it will be a great success. And now I'd like to ask all of my guests to please step into my private theater for the premier of _Keishi_." The producer announced happily.

"Well, let's go." Ren said with a smile as he grasped Kyoko's hand. They entered the theater and ran into the director. He seemed tipsy but was in a good mood. He took hold of Kyoko's free hand and shook it vigorously.

"Kyoko-san! How great to see you!" his speech was slightly slurred and a bit too loud.

Kyoko struggled to get him to release her hand as she forced a smile. "It's good to see you too, sir." She said through gritted teeth.

"What a pleasure to see you tonight, Director," Ren said loud enough to draw the director's attention away from Kyoko. Kyoko listened as Ren easily chatted with the director before reminding him that they needed to sit down.

"Oh yes! We all have seats reserved at the front!" the director exclaimed. He gestured to his empty glass. "I'm just getting a refill."

They watched him disappear from the room before heading towards the front seats.

"Apparently, the director enjoys his alcohol a little too much." Ren muttered to Kyoko causing her to laugh.

When they reached the front they found Yukia already seated, next to him were two empty seats marked as reserved for Kyoko and Ren. He smiled. "Kyoko-chan, Ren-san. I'm so happy to see you." He said, as the pair sat down.

Kyoko glanced around, "Where'd James-san go?"

"They didn't have a seat reserved for him." Yukia said, trying and failing to hide his disappointment.

Kyoko gave him a sympathetic look as the lights dimmed around them. The screen before them came to life and everyone began to clap. Kyoko stared in awe as she watched the drama's title fill the screen. She could feel her excitement rising and she reached out and grasped both Yukia's and Ren's hands as the title music played.

 _This is it,_ she thought, tears filling her eyes, _Even though it's just the start, it feels more like the end._


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Here's chapter 16! I'll try and get the next chapter up quickly for you all. Thank you for your patience.**

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Chapter 16: Trust?

"You were really amazing, Kyoko-chan!"

"Yukia-kun, you are such a talented actor!"

Both Kyoko and Yukia thanked the people who had crowded around them praising their performances. Kyoko blushed at all the compliments. _I'm not used to hearing these things from strangers._ She thought as yet another person praised her acting.

Finally, Yukia grabbed her hand and excused them politely from the crowd of new fans. He led her over to where James was seated on a nearby couch.

"Here, Kyoko-chan, why don't you sit with James and I'll get us some waters. I don't know about you but all that smiling has me thirsty." Yukia told her with a laugh.

Kyoko nodded, "Thank you, Yukia-kun." She watched Yukia weave his way through the crowd until he disappeared before turning her attention to James. "Do you know where Ren went?" she asked.

"I think he stepped over there to greet someone." He replied giving a nod towards another small buzzing crowd.

Kyoko followed his direction and spotted Ren surrounded by a bunch of other good looking famous people. Most of whom were beautiful young women.

"Does it make you jealous?" James asked after a moment.

Kyoko glanced at him, before returning her gaze to Ren. "Yes," she answered honestly. "Sometimes it does." She watched as Ren spoke with his celebrity fans, charming the women and men alike. But then as she watched him he looked towards her, feeling her gaze, and caught her eye. He smiled at her and gave a wink that caused her to blush before returning to his conversation.

"But I think it's fine to get a little jealous when you see people spending time with the person you love. As long as you don't let it get to you." Kyoko turned her attention back to James. "Do you get jealous when you see Yukia-kun talking with his fans?"

James looked surprised by her question. He sighed, "Yeah, I do sometimes. He's the first person I've ever dated, so I guess I feel possessive."

Kyoko nodded. "I can understand that." She gave James a small smile.

Just then, Yukia came back through the crowded living room carrying two bottles of cold water. He handed one to Kyoko. "Sorry it took so long. I got stopped by a fashion designer who asked me about modeling for them." He handed the business card to James. "Maybe you can check them out for me and see if it's worth doing?"

James nodded with a smile. "Sure. It's a good opportunity."

Yukia took a long drink from his water bottle before sitting down in the empty space between Kyoko and James. He glanced at Kyoko who was playing with the paper wrapper on the water bottle. "You okay, Kyoko-chan?"

Kyoko was startled by his question. She had let her mind wander and had remembered that she still needed to tell Ren about Shotaro. She looked back at Yukia. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just kind of warm in here." She stood up. "I think I'm going to go outside for a few minutes."

Kyoko made her way through the crowded room before finding a door that led outside to the less crowded garden. She began to walk down one of the stone pathways letting her mind think over her day.

 _Today was supposed to be simple. Go to an audition, then go home and relax until the party tonight, instead I had to deal with this whole Shotaro thing. And now I don't know how I'm going to tell Ren about it._ She let out a sigh.

"You shouldn't be sighing on such a happy occasion."

Kyoko turned around and was greeted by the sight of her boyfriend standing just behind her. She smiled, feeling somewhat better just after hearing his voice again. "Are you having fun?" she asked as they began walking together.

"Yes, although I'd be having more fun if I got to be alone with a certain very talented actress." He spoke longingly, giving a sideways glance at Kyoko as he tried to hide his smirk. "But she got swept away by her fans as soon as the premiere was over."

Kyoko punched his arm playfully. "Stop teasing." She scolded.

Ren chuckled to himself before holding out a hand for Kyoko. She placed her hand in his and they continued walking together holding hands in the moonlight.

"You seemed like you were thinking about a lot of things back there." He told her, "Everything okay?"

Kyoko nodded, "I think I'm just tired, and a little sad that it's all over."

"Well, it's not completely over. You'll probably be doing some interviews during the airing of the drama. We might even be asked to do one together." He said, trying to cheer her up.

Kyoko smiled at him. "Yeah, you're right." She glanced back up at the mansion that was filled with people. "I guess we should be heading back to the party now." She turned to begin the walk back but Ren grabbed her hand, causing her to stop. She looked at him curiously.

"Before we go back," he murmured. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to kiss her. When he released her, Kyoko could swear she was seeing stars in her lightheaded state.

She pushed him away lightly. "You shouldn't do things like that when there are so many people around." She scolded him.

Ren only laughed in response as he followed Kyoko back to the party. Although, he hadn't completely forgotten the serious look she had had when she was thinking by herself.

When the party had finished, Yukia, James, Kyoko, and Ren all piled back into the limo the President had provided them.

"What about your car, Ren-san?" Yukia asked as they seated themselves around the plush interior.

"The president actually had me dropped off here. I believe he asked somebody to deliver my car home from the agency." Ren answered.

"Well, this is nice since now we get to celebrate on our own." James said, happily as he opened the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of champagne. He grabbed glasses from the storage space and handed them out as he began to pour for everyone. Once he had finished they all clinked their glasses together in celebration of the completion of filming.

Kyoko leaned back in her seat. She finally felt able to relax now that they had left the crowded atmosphere of the wrap party. She was even starting to feel a bit sleepy, that is until Yukia spoke up.

"So, you haven't told us yet. How did your audition go today, Kyoko-chan?" he asked.

All three of the men looked at Kyoko expectantly. _With everything else going on, I had completely forgotten about the audition news._ She thought as she sat straighter to share her good news. She forced a smile through her tiredness.

"I got the part. They called me this afternoon and said they had decided on me."

They all let out congratulatory cheers and Ren gave her a side-hug. He smiled at her. "I'm proud of you." He told her softly. She could feel her cheeks flush at his praise. "So now do we get to find out which drama it is?"

Yukia looked at Ren in surprise. "You mean you don't know either, Ren-san?"

Ren shook his head. "She refused to tell me until after the audition," he explained.

Kyoko glanced down at her lap as she tried to push away her shyness. _He's going to find out sooner or later. I might as well tell him now._ She looked back up. "Actually," she said, her eyes flickering towards Ren, "It's the new drama that Ren is going to be in. I'm playing his love interest."

Kyoko couldn't help but look at Ren to see his reaction. _What if he's disappointed that he has to act with me like this?_ She wondered. But her concern didn't last long because a smile broke out on Ren's face.

"Sounds like it's going to be more fun than I was expecting." He told her.

Kyoko smiled back at him, feeling grateful for his enthusiasm. Even though her first starring role was over, working with Ren as his co-star was something she had dreamed of doing since she had first begun acting. _I won't let you down. I promise._

Soon the limo had dropped off Yukia and James leaving only Ren and Kyoko to enjoy the quiet ride home. As they rode, each of them were lost in their own thoughts until Ren felt a slight weight against his shoulder. He looked down and saw that Kyoko had fallen asleep and was now leaning against him. He smiled. There was something so sweet about how she looked when she was in dreamland.

When they reached the apartment building, Ren carried her from the limo like a princess and held her that way all the way up to their apartment. He carefully laid her down on their bed and briefly considered helping her out of her dress. _No, she'd be upset if I changed her clothes._ He shook his head, deciding it'd be best to leave her in the dress for now.

Kyoko's first thought was that her eyelids felt heavy. She looked around with blurred vision as she tried to figure out where she was. _Why am I lying down?_ She wondered. Her eyes adjusted more and across the room she could see the figure of a handsome young man removing his tie and then unbuttoning a dress shirt.

"Corn?" she murmured groggily.

He glanced towards her and she heard a chuckle escape from his throat. "I was wondering if you were going to wake up. I thought you might wind up sleeping the whole night in that dress." He teased.

Kyoko could feel her mind and then body awakening. That's right, they had been at the party and then come home.

Ren approached her and sat on the edge of the bed beside her. His shirt was now completely unbuttoned, revealing his well-toned chest and stomach. Her eyes flickered to his body for a brief moment before he spoke.

"Now that you're awake, why don't you get dressed for bed." He suggested, reaching out and gently stroking her cheek.

She blushed at the intimate gesture before nodding. "All right, I'll go change." She rose from the bed and headed into the closet to get her pajamas. A moment later she felt hands brush against the back of her neck.

She jumped. "Corn, what are you doing?" she exclaimed. "You startled me."

He laughed, "I thought you might need help unzipping the back of the dress." He whispered. He allowed his fingers to brush her neck once more before unzipping the top half of the zipper. He took a step back and noticed her shoulders relax slightly.

"I'll go change in the bathroom. You can change in our room." He offered before grabbing some pajamas of his own and exiting the room.

Kyoko waited a few minutes listening to the pounding of her heart in her chest. When it had calmed enough, she moved out to the bedroom and changed out of her evening gown and into her every day pajamas. _He certainly likes to get me worked up. Still teasing me even now when I'm practically half asleep._ She sat down on her side of the bed and found her mind wandering back over her day.

There was a knock on the door and Ren reentered the room after she had answered him. He climbed into bed and set his alarm before lying down. He reached out a hand and began to run his fingers through Kyoko's hair. "You seem like you've had a lot on your mind tonight. Anything you want to talk about?"

His words were like a trigger in Kyoko's mind and she suddenly flashed back to her meeting with the president. _I had completely forgotten I was going to tell him about Shotaro._ She straightened and turned to face her boyfriend.

"Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about." She paused, searching for the right words. "But you have to promise not to freak out or anything. I need you to stay calm."

Ren felt his nervousness rise within him. "You saying that doesn't exactly make me feel calm." He told her, attempting to maintain some lightheartedness to their conversation.

"Just promise." Kyoko urged him.

He nodded silently. If she was being this serious it was something big.

"The President had me meet with him today about adding a new member to the LoveMe section." She began slowly, watching Ren's face for reaction.

"He wanted my approval before adding this new member though. But I went ahead and said yes." She continued.

"Why am I getting more concerned the more you say? What part are you expecting me to freak out about? It's not the first new member." Ren finally said. He was getting anxious and wanted answers already.

She took a deep breath. "It's Shotaro. Sho is the new LoveMe member."

Ren stared at her in silence for several moments. Had he misheard her? Did she maybe know another guy named Sho? Finally, he decided to speak.

"I'm sorry. What?"

Kyoko looked down. She clenched her fists nervously. "Sho came to the President to ask for a job. He's been out of work since he got fired from Akatoki and no one else will hire him. The President was willing to let him join but it had to be in the LoveMe section and I had to give my approval."

"And you are okay with him joining LME?" he asked in disbelief.

Kyoko met Ren's eyes. "Honestly, I don't want him around but I think he needs the LoveMe section even more than I did." She watched as Ren ran a hand through his hair.

"I'll be honest, I don't want him anywhere near you after the things he's done." He said quietly.

"I think he's changed a bit. Even if it's not much it's a start." Kyoko told him, "The Sho I knew before would have never got on his hands and knees and apologized to me."

Ren still looked uncertain. "You'll wind up having to work with him since you're in charge of the LoveMe section now. I don't know if I can handle that."

Kyoko reached out and touched Ren's hand. "I know that you don't trust Sho. And I'm not asking you to, I don't really trust him yet either. I'm just asking you to trust me. Trust my judgment right now."

He looked into her eyes and then down at her hand. _I promised to trust her. And to prove that I do, I need to trust her now._ He moved his hand to grasp hers gently. "All right. I trust you. I don't trust the scumbag, but I trust you."

Kyoko smiled. "Thank you, Ren."

He leaned back against the pillows and pulled Kyoko to lay against him. "So when does he start?"

"Um, I meet with him in the morning." She could feel his grip on her tighten.

"What time? If I'm free I could come with you-"

"It's at nine. You already have a meeting scheduled for that time." She interrupted him quickly. She knew she had to make that known immediately to prevent Ren from trying to rearrange his schedule to come with her.

Ren sighed. "Fine. But I'll drop you off and pick you up afterwards. Neither of us have anything tomorrow afternoon so I thought we could go out to dinner."

Kyoko nodded as she relaxed against Ren's chest. "That sounds fun." She murmured.

Ren glanced down at her and saw that her eyes had closed. He smiled slightly, and kissed the top of her head. _I trust you, but if that guy hurts you again I swear I'll kill him._


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Helping an Old Frenemy

"If you want I could stick around for a little while. I'll just call Yashiro and tell him something came up."

This was Ren's fourth attempt since waking up, at convincing Kyoko to let him stay for her meeting with Sho. They had just arrived at LME and were standing in the LoveMe section where Kyoko was unpacking the things the President had sent over.

She sighed and shook her head. She looked towards the door for a moment before looking at him with serious eyes. "Kuon, I already said no. I'll be fine. Besides, Yukia-kun is supposed to be here too. The President left an assignment for him and Sho."

She could see that he didn't look too happy with her decision but a few moments later he gave in and left after giving her a good bye kiss.

At five minutes before nine, the door opened and Yukia and James entered. James was wearing his usual slacks with a nice shirt and jacket while Yukia wore his LoveMe uniform. Kyoko smiled when they entered.

"Good morning you two!" she greeted them.

James smiled in return. "Good morning, Kyoko-chan. Don't mind him," he said nodding towards a sulking Yukia. "He's just upset he has to wear that."

Kyoko laughed, "Well, he wouldn't be the first member to hate the uniform." She mumbled, thinking about how Kanae used to disguise herself when wearing the hated LoveMe pink uniform.

"I heard that there's a new member starting today." James said as he took a seat on the couch next to Yukia. "Is that right?"

Kyoko nodded. "Yes, he should be here any time now." She glanced at the clock nearby and saw that the clock had just moved to nine o'clock. _Where is he?_ She wondered, starting to feel frustrated.

Just then the door to the LoveMe section was thrown open and she watched as Sho strutted in. Kyoko noticed that he looked better today. He had chosen to wear nicer clothes, though she noticed his shoes were the same worn ones from the day before. His hair was styled and his ever annoying smile was in place but she didn't miss the fact that the sparkle was gone from his eye.

 _He's so prideful he even has to act like this here…_ she sighed.

"Morning, Kyoko," he greeted her, before sitting down in one of the chairs that surrounded the small conference table. It was only then that he noticed the other two occupants of the room.

"Who are those guys?" Sho asked as he gestured towards them.

Kyoko tried to hold back her irritation. She couldn't give in to it this early on. "This is Yukia-kun, he's also a LoveMe member. And his manager, James-san." she turned towards Yukia and James, "And this is our newest member, Sho Fuwa."

Both Yukia and James recognized the name of Kyoko's ex-childhood friend. Yukia stood and offered a hand to Sho. "Nice to meet you, Sho-kun."

Sho accepted the handshake silently. At first, Kyoko was going to scold him for being rude but then she saw that he was staring wide-eyed at the hot pink uniform the younger man was wearing. _Is he trying not to laugh?_ Kyoko wondered as she watch Sho take a step back.

She was just about to be grateful for his silence, when he burst out laughing. The other three watched him incredulously as they waited for his laughter to calm.

Kyoko sighed and rubbed her temple. "Are you done?" she asked.

Sho quieted and turned back to her with a smile. "What the hell is he wearing?" he asked. "It looks so gay."

Kyoko briefly saw James tense but he relaxed again when Yukia began to laugh too.

"I know. It's terrible, right? Whoever decided to make the LoveMe uniform hot pink was crazy." Yukia agreed.

Sho stared at him in shock. Then his eyes flickered to Kyoko who was watching him with amusement. "You- you mean I'll have to wear that too?" he asked in disbelief.

Kyoko nodded and picked up a plastic wrapped package. She held it out to the singer. He opened the plastic and pulled out the contents. Inside was a short sleeve button up work shirt and matching work pants both colored hot pink. He noticed that the emblem for the Section was printed on the front and back of the shirt as well.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope." Kyoko answered with a smirk. "If you want to be in the LoveMe section you have to wear the uniform any time you are doing LoveMe related work."

Sho mumbled curse words under his breath as he threw himself back down into the chair he had previously occupied. Kyoko sighed as she moved back to the box from the president. _I don't know how Shoko-san managed to put up with him for so long. He is so spoiled._ She thought to herself.

She pulled out a pink notepad and the stamp case and set it down in front of Sho. "How the LoveMe section works is you do jobs to earn points to help you graduate from it. You have to do the jobs with love and a desire to make other people happy. Not yourself." She said seriously. "People will award you points by stamping them in this notepad."

Sho picked up the notepad and flipped through it absent-mindedly.

Kyoko pulled out two papers from the box. "The president sent over assignments for both you and Yukia-kun." Kyoko explained. "Yukia-kun, there's a photo shoot scheduled for today that is short on crewmembers. The president has assigned you to it." She held out the paper to Yukia who accepted it with a quiet thanks.

"And what am I stuck doing?" Sho questioned, irritably.

"Your job is for tomorrow. The president has asked you to help entertain the daughter of an important foreign guest. Apparently, she's a big fan of yours." She held out the paper to him, disgusted by the excited look on his face. "No flirting with her if she's cute and don't be rude if she's not. Just be kind. Can you manage that?"

"I'm not incapable of being kind to people." Sho retorted.

Kyoko laughed. "Well, aside from yesterday's act I've never seen you manage it. But your back to normal now I guess."

Sho stood and leaned over the table towards her as they continued arguing. Before they had realized it their faces were only a couple of inches apart. Yukia glanced uncomfortably at James. He knew Ren had asked them to make sure Sho didn't cause trouble for Kyoko but this was getting awkward.

James cleared his throat, reminding them of their presence. "Kyoko-chan?"

Kyoko and Sho both looked towards the other two. She regained her composure though her face was a little red from being embarrassed about being seen arguing. "Sorry, James-san. You two can head out. The meeting is over anyway."

James watched the pair nervously before nodding and heading out of the room. Yukia said a quick good bye to Kyoko before hurrying after his manager.

"Do you think it's okay to leave them alone like that?" Yukia asked when he caught up to James. "Remember what Ren-san said."

James smiled and took hold of Yukia's hand as he continued walking. "I think they'll be fine. Ren-san said they normally fight like a couple… what I saw back there seemed more like siblings."

As Kyoko cleaned up from the meeting, Sho moved to the small couch and sat there sulking. It was only then that she noticed the suitcase he had parked on the floor next to him. Against her better judgement she decided to speak to him.

"Sho, the meetings over so you can leave if you want." She said, trying not to sound harsh.

Sho threw himself back to lie on the couch. "Is it a problem if I stay here for now?"

Kyoko felt something in the back of her mind that might very been concern. "Shotaro." She said and he looked at her. "Do you need a place to stay for a while?"

He sat up, surprised at how gentle her voice was. He scowled. "I'm not gonna stay in the same apartment as your pretty boy boyfriend." He muttered indignantly.

"Nobody said she was offering that." An irritated voice spoke from the doorway. They both turned their heads and saw Ren standing there.

"Ren, you're here," Kyoko said, feeling relieved and concerned at having Ren around Sho.

He stepped farther into the room and the two men shot glares at each other. "Are you ready to go home, Kyoko?" Ren asked, emphasizing the word home. He knew Sho was still interested in her and he had a bad feeling this was all a scheme to get closer to her again.

Kyoko looked at Sho, a determined look on her face. "Do you need a place to stay? I think I know someone who would take you in."

Sho didn't know how to respond. If that idiot hadn't interrupted he would've admitted to Kyoko that he had nowhere to go, but he couldn't admit that in front of _him._ Could he? He bit back his pride as he thought of his fear of having to sleep outdoors.

He nodded. "I need somewhere to stay for a while." He muttered.

Kyoko knew things were serious if Sho was willing to admit he needed help. She turned to Ren and gestured for him to lean down. She turned away from Sho to whisper.

"I think Taisho and Okami-san might be able to take him in. Can we take him there?" she asked.

Ren wanted to say no. He wanted to pick her up and take her far away from the man who had shattered her heart and then still felt the need to try to ruin her life. But when he saw the hopeful look in her eyes, he couldn't. He sighed. "Fine. We can take him."

Kyoko surprised him with a kiss on the cheek as thanks before turning back to Sho who was scowling intently at the wall.

"Shotaro." She called, getting his attention. "C'mon, we are taking you somewhere I think you can stay. At least for a little while."

Sho settled into the luxury car comfortably. "Nice ride you've got here, pretty boy," Sho commented.

Kyoko looked back at him in the backseat. "You should call him 'Tsuruga-san'." She scolded.

Sho shrugged as he leaned back. Kyoko glanced over at Ren. He had never looked so tense behind the wheel of his car. He normally loved driving, and it helped him relax. She just prayed that Taisho would agree to taking in Shotaro, because if he didn't, they might be stuck with him.

When they pulled up near the Darumaya, Kyoko climbed out of the car. She looked back in at the two men still seated inside. "Wait here, I want to talk to them first." She ordered, before closing the door and heading towards her former home.

It didn't take long after the door closed for Sho to begin goading Ren. He leaned forward against the backs of the seats and his face was now too close for Ren's comfort. Although to be fair, Sho just being in the same country was too close, let alone the same car.

"I bet you just hate how much she keeps wanting to help me, don't you?" Sho asked.

Ren clenched his teeth. "If she wants to help a stray animal find a place to stay so it doesn't die from being on its own, who am I to say no."

Sho chuckled, "I guess I'll be getting to spend a lot of time with her again. But don't worry, I promise I'll play nice."

Ren's grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles turned white. It was taking all of his control to not let Kuon take over and strangle Fuwa. "Well, that doesn't really matter. Because I'm still the one she'll be in bed with tonight." He said and felt a little better when he heard an irritated grunt come from the younger man in the back seat.

"You think you're just so much better than me, don't you?" Sho commented.

Ren turned to meet his eyes for the first time. On his face was a super gentlemanly smile, while his eyes held a dark anger. "Yes. Of course I think I'm better than some idiot who threw away the most amazing woman and then lost his career because he couldn't handle seeing her with someone else."

Sho glared back at him. "You know what Mr. Pretty boy-"

Before Sho could finish his sentence the door to the car reopened to reveal a concerned looking Kyoko. "You guys couldn't just sit here quietly, could you?" she asked in an annoyed tone. "Well, they are willing to talk to you. Come on."

Sho exited the car and Ren moved to follow. Kyoko opened her mouth to ask him to wait there but changed her mind when she saw how anxious he looked. Instead she grasped his hand as they made their way back inside of the restaurant.

When they entered the restaurant, Kyoko, Ren, and Sho all bowed in greeting to the couple inside. They then sat around the table where Sho remembered eating the first time he had come there. The Okami-san was friendly enough as she talked to Kyoko and Ren, but Taisho kept his eyes sternly on the young singer. Sho shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"So, Sho-kun, I understand you are a friend of Kyoko-chan." Okami-san said with a smile.

Sho nodded, "Yes, our families have known each other since we were children."

"My husband and I are willing to let you stay here in our spare room for as long as you need to for a small rent as well as help twice a week in the restaurant." The kind woman explained.

Sho felt his mouth go dry at the prospect of working at a restaurant. That kind of work was below him, what was she thinking? Didn't she know who he was?

Kyoko reached over and pinched Sho's arm causing him to jump. He took the hint and smiled charmingly at the Okami-san. "Thank you very much for your kindness." He replied with a nod.

On the other side of Kyoko, Ren had to cover up a snort of laughter by coughing. He knew from everything he'd witnessed and been told that Sho wouldn't last one shift working there. Although, he was very tempted to ask Kyoko if they could visit during that time just so he could watch him fail.

After they finished their talk, Sho unloaded his bag from the trunk of Ren's car. Kyoko and Ren said goodbye to the couple before heading towards the car.

"Wait, Kyoko. Can I talk to you for a minute?" Sho called after her.

She glanced towards Ren and gestured for him to keep going before turning back to Shotaro.

He glanced at the ground and shifted his feet awkwardly. There were very few times she had ever seen Sho look awkward and it made her feel a little uncomfortable too.

"What did you need?" she asked.

He looked up at her. "Thanks. Just thanks for finding me somewhere to stay."

Kyoko stared at him in shock. Maybe Shotaro had changed. Even if it was just a little.

"You better go. Your boyfriend is getting concerned," he smirked at Ren who was standing by the car. "If you don't hurry I'll hug you just to freak him out." He taunted.

Kyoko hurried away from him back to the car. As they drove, Kyoko couldn't stop thinking about how this Sho was so different from his former self. The changes weren't huge, but they were important ones still. _Hopefully, working at Darumaya will help him learn._ She thought with a small smile.

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 **A/N: Omg so sorry for the long wait. I'm already working on the next chapter. I think we've got 3 or 4 chapters left to this part. :) hope you all enjoyed this! I had a lot of fun writing Sho. Thanks again to all my readers for your support!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I am so sorry for the wait between chapters. But I am happy to announce this is a rather long chapter compared to normal for me. I hope you enjoy it!**

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Chapter 18: Coming Together

The next day Kyoko was sitting in front of Ren's laptop on the couch in their apartment. She had work earlier in the day and was now home trying to come up with the perfect team building activity for the LoveMe section. She sighed as she scrolled through yet another useless Web page.

"How is it that I can't find anything?" She moaned, leaning her head back on the couch. She sat up straight again when she heard her phone ringing. She glanced at the caller ID. Unknown.

She sighed and answered the phone. "This is Ky-"

"What the hell kind of prank is this?" Sho yelled into the phone.

Kyoko held the phone away from her ear for a moment. When he'd stopped yelling she put it back. "What are you talking about?" Kyoko asked him.

She could hear him breathing hard. He was not happy. "You set me up on a date with a twelve year old!" He exclaimed.

Kyoko snorted. "Um, what?"

"You said I had to entertain a girl who was a huge fan of mine. But you neglected to tell me she's only twelve. I'm not a freaking babysitter."

 _Oh, so the president's friend must've had a younger daughter than I expected._ "Look, Shotaro. I didn't know anything more than you did. The President didn't tell me how old she'd be." She paused. "I hope you're being nice to her."

She could hear an irritated grunt from Sho through the phone. "Of course I'm being nice. I'm not gonna be mean to her just 'cause she's a kid." He grumbled.

Just then Kyoko heard another voice through the phone. "Sho-chan! I'm back!" the young voice called loudly.

"Oh crap," Sho said before the phone call ended.

Kyoko couldn't help but laugh as she stared at her phone. _It's probably good for him._ She thought to herself.

"What's so funny?"

Kyoko looked up and saw Ren entering the room. He was dressed in a suit with his hair styles perfectly. She smiled, "How'd your interview go?"

He sat next to her on the couch. "Same as usual." He responded. "But I want to know what made you laugh so cutely." He teased.

Kyoko rolled her eyes but a blush touched her cheeks. "Sho called to give an update about his assignment."

Ren raised an eyebrow, confused how that was funny.

"He was supposed to help escort the daughter of a friend of the President. She's a big Sho Fuwa fan. Except," Kyoko paused trying not to laugh again. "She's a kid. He was expecting a girl his age."

Ren smirked at the thought of how disappointed Fuwa must've been. He glanced at the laptop and leaned his head on Kyoko's shoulder. "What are you working on?"

Kyoko sighed. "I'm trying to find a team building activity for the LoveMe section. The president asked me to handle it. But I'm not having any luck with ideas."

Ren looked thoughtful. "What about a scavenger hunt? You could do it in teams and the winning team could get something."

A smile broke out on Kyoko's face. "That's a great idea!" She exclaimed. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to Ren's lips. He watched as she closed the laptop and placed it on the table before running out of the living room. He followed her to the bedroom and smiled as she darted around the room grabbing her bag and a notebook.

"Going somewhere?" Ren asked with a laugh.

Kyoko looked up and smiled. "Yeah, I need to go talk to the President about my idea. Do you think you can give me a ride?"

* * *

The President looked surprised to see Sebastian lead the young actress into his office that afternoon. He stood and smiled as Kyoko bowed to him.

"Good afternoon, Mogami-kun. How can I help you?" He asked curiously.

"I'm sorry to come without calling first but I've decided on what activity I'd like to plan for the LoveMe section. But I need your help." She explained quickly, hoping she wasn't interrupting anything important.

She watched as the president's smile grew into a Cheshire cat like grin. "Why of course, I'm thrilled to help."

* * *

Two weeks later, the entire LoveMe section met in their assigned room. Kyoko began by introducing the newest members to Kanae and Chiori before pulling out a stack of papers for the activity. Everyone except Sho sat around the table listening attentively, while the singer laid on the couch lazily.

"The President asked me to plan a special team building exercise for our section and he helped figure out how to execute it. So, today we will be doing a scavenger hunt." Kyoko announced, forcing herself to be cheerful. In all honesty, she was very nervous about today's activity.

She heard a groan from Sho, and saw Chiori grab Kanae's arm to stop her from approaching the offending teen. Yukia glanced nervously at James who seemed to be trying to hide his excitement.

Kyoko continued, "I asked the president to set up a list of things for us to do or collect and he has split us up into three teams of two. We have to work together with our partner to complete our list and the first team back here with a finished list will win a special prize."

Kyoko noticed Sho's eyes had focused on her when she said win and prize. _Maybe that'll motivate him to actually try at least._ She hoped silently.

She looked down at the first paper in her hands. "The teams are as follows: Kotonami-san and Amamiya-san, James-san and Yukia-kun, and Sho and myself." She handed out a paper to the other two teams. "This is your list. It's one o'clock now and we will play until we all return or meet back here at six if you haven't finished yet. The only rule is you have to stay in or just outside of the agency." Kyoko watched at both of the other teams quickly read through their lists before grabbing their things and heading out the door with a quick good bye.

It was only after the other four members had left, that Sho finally approached Kyoko. "Let's me see that." He ordered, holding out a hand for the list. She handed it to him and watched him read through it.

"Who the hell came up with this stuff? It's crazy."

Kyoko rolled her eyes but gave a small chuckle. "That's the president's handiwork." She muttered picking up her purse. "Shall we go?"

He sighed but nodded and followed Kyoko into the hall. "What should we start with?" He asked.

She glanced at the list he held towards her. "Number four sounds easy. 'Get three business cards from someone you don't know.'"

Sho groaned. He really didn't want more people than necessary seeing him in his hideous pink uniform but he also couldn't stand the thought of losing. Plus, he kind of owed it to Kyoko to at least try to win, so without complaining he followed her to the elevator.

He watched as Kyoko pressed a button. "The singing section should be a good choice. I don't know very many people there and it's good for you to meet more people you'll be working with." She told him.

The elevator stopped and they exited onto a somewhat familiar floor for Sho. He had been up here two or three times since joining LME for meetings with the head of the singing section but that was it so far.

They passed the head's desk and headed to some of the lesser known employees work spaces. Kyoko bowed in greeting to a young man who Sho noticed looked a little star struck at seeing her.

"Excuse me. We are from the LoveMe section and are in the middle of a scavenger hunt. We need to obtain business cards from three people we don't know. Do you think you could help us?" Kyoko asked politely, and Sho noticed with annoyance, the charming smile she flashed the young man.

He nodded and hurried away from his desk before returning a few moments later with all three of the required business cards. As they returned to the elevator, Kyoko noticed the scowl on Sho's face.

"What's wrong?" She asked, trying not to sound annoyed.

Sho shrugged. "I just didn't know your boyfriend was okay with you flirting with random guys."

Kyoko now felt irritated and confused. "I wasn't flirting with anyone. What're you talking about?"

"That guy from before!" He exclaimed. He then sighed and held the list out to her. "It doesn't matter. Just pick something else for us to do."

Kyoko stared at the list. "What about this?" She asked.

Sho looked at the one she was pointing at. "Find a meeting and serve tea to everyone present." He grimaced at the thought. He was barely surviving working at the Darumaya but that was only because they allowed him to help with very easy things. He wasn't sure if he could handle this.

When the elevator arrived back at the lobby, Kyoko approached the reception desk.

"How can I help you, Kyoko-san?" the girl asked.

Kyoko gave a small bow. "For our scavenger hunt we have to serve tea at a meeting. Is there one that's just starting?"

The girl looked at her computer and clicked on several items. "It looks like there's a meeting on the third floor in conference room G. It's starting in about five minutes."

Kyoko beamed. "Thank you so much!" She hurried back past Sho and hit the button on the elevator. "If we hurry we can make it before the meeting starts, that way it'll look more natural."

Sho looked at her seriously. "You're not expecting me to serve tea right?"

Kyoko met his eyes, a determined look in her own. "Yes, I am. It would do you some good to learn to serve others sometimes." She stepped out of the elevator when it opened to their floor and led Sho to the conference room. He watched her uncertainly as she knocked.

 _She's crazy. And yet, I'm listening to her._ He shook his head trying to discern what all this meant. But before he could figure it out, the door opened and they were allowed entry into the room to complete their next task.

* * *

Meanwhile, at an on-site filming, Ren sat in his dressing trailer feeling anxious. He flipped through the script he had already memorized long ago.

"Ren, what's wrong?" Yashiro's voice startled Ren.

"Nothing," Ren lied easily.

Yashiro rolled his eyes. "This isn't a very long or complex commercial, yet you've been flipping through your script for the past twenty minutes. So what's wrong?"

Ren sighed and set down the papers in his hand. Ever since he and Kyoko had began dating it had become harder to lie to his manager. Especially once his secret identity had been revealed.

"I'm just wondering how the LoveMe scavenger hunt is going." He answered half-honestly.

"You're worried because she'll be with Fuwa?"

Ren cringed at Yashiro's phrasing. "Can you please not refer to it as her being _with_ Fuwa?" He ran a hand through his hair. "It's not that I don't trust her. I just don't trust him. He's hurt her too many times, physically and emotionally."

"We could go check on her after your filming?"

The young actor shook his head. "No, she'd just get mad at me. I promised to trust her."

Yashiro smiled. He couldn't help but feel proud of how Ren was maturing. Sure, he had seemed mature before, but that was just an act to cover up his true self. Now he was learning to mature for his relationship.

"Although, if for some reason my work requires me to stop by the agency for a bit afterwards…"

Yashiro chuckled at Ren's admission. He had matured, but he was still himself.

* * *

By the time four o'clock rolled around, Kyoko and Sho had completed more than half of their task list for the scavenger hunt. They looked over the remaining items, trying to decide which would be the best to do next.

"I guess we should do this one next. 'Write and record a song'. We don't want to run out of time-"

Sho cut her off. "That one is going to be the easiest. I can write a song in my sleep." He boasted.

Kyoko struggled not to roll her eyes. "Yes, but we are supposed to do this as a team. Remember?"

Sho sighed. He was tired and not used to doing so much work. Kyoko noticed that he was beginning to look frustrated.

"Hey, can we go to the cafeteria while we write? I want to get something to drink." She suggested.

Sho seemed to perk up at the idea of a drink (and maybe food?) But he feigned annoyance. "I guess we can. Where is it again?" He followed Kyoko without any complaints and they soon found themselves seated at a small table in a corner of the cafeteria. Each with a cup of tea in front of them and a snack.

Kyoko flipped over their task list to the blank side and handed Sho the pencil she had been using to mark things off. "You can start it if you want."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise at her offer but gladly accepted the pencil. _It's probably been a while since he's done any real writing._ She mused as she watched him glance around the room for inspiration.

Just as he was starting to focus, there was the sound of lots of excited girls near the entrance of the large room. A moment later, Ren stepped inside with Yashiro. Ren smiled charmingly at the people accompanying him. A couple of gentleman and four young ladies. Kyoko's eyes locked onto his handsome form and she forgot Sho was with her. Sometimes, when she saw him like this, she was reminded of how small she was compared to him in their industry.

Before she could look away, Ren felt her eyes and looked towards her. He smiled at her and gestured for her to come to him. She hurried to his side while Sho watched from his seat.

He saw Kyoko bow to the people with Ren and then chat happily with them for a minute before saying good bye and returning to her seat.

"What was that about?" He asked as she sat down. He didn't miss the flushed look on her face or the smile in her amber eyes.

She looked surprised, as if she had forgotten he was there. "Oh, Ren wanted to introduce me formally to the director and producers for the drama we are starring in soon."

Sho nodded. He watched Kyoko for another minute before looking down at the paper. It was still blank, much unlike his mind where thoughts swirled around, giving him a headache.

"You seem happier."

Kyoko looked up from her tea. "What do you mean?"

Sho met her eyes. "You look happier with him. Different from when you were taking care of me. You never looked at me like that." He said softly.

Kyoko was startled by his observation. She wasn't quite sure how to respond. She lost her chance though when Sho stood up suddenly. He passed the paper and pencil across to her. "I'm gonna hit the bathroom." He muttered.

Sho turned away but Kyoko didn't miss his parting words. "I'm happy for you."

* * *

At five thirty, Kyoko and Sho finally entered the LoveMe section with their completed list. Inside they found the president along with the two other teams.

"Welcome back!" the president greeted them. "I'm glad to see all our teams made it back in one piece and managed to complete all their tasks."

Kyoko tried not to laugh. The president looked positively giddy. She and Sho sat down at the large table and waited for the president to speak again.

"Well, first place goes to Yukia-kun and James-kun's team." He held out an envelope to them. "Your prize is an all expense paid vacation for two to Hawaii." As the word "Hawaii" left his mouth two staff members waiting nearby placed leis around their necks.

"What a waste of time." Sho muttered under his breath.

Kyoko thought the president would ignore him, but instead he focused his attention on the young singer. "Fuwa-kun, I think this has been a very good learning experience for you and the LoveMe section as a whole. I hope you will all begin to rely on each other and help each other to grow until you can graduate from the LoveMe section."

Kyoko was surprised by the president's serious speech. She hadn't expected him to be so calm. However the next second he was back to his overly excited self as he demanded their notebooks from each member and stamped a 100% stamp on a page with his signature next to it.

A few minutes later the other LoveMe members filed out of the room, leaving behind Kyoko, Sho, and the President. The president approached Kyoko and patted her on the shoulder.

"You did a very good job on today's activity," He praised her. "I'm proud of how you're running things. Just what I'd expect from my number one LoveMe member." He flashed her a smile and gave a quick wave to Sho before leaving the room.

Kyoko began to pack up her things. Ren would be there soon to drive her home. She glanced at Sho who was sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine.

"How are things going at Darumaya?" She asked.

He shrugged, "It's okay I guess. The room's small, and it kinda feels like it's haunted. I don't like working at the restaurant but it's not too bad I guess."

Kyoko nodded, a small smile appearing on her lips. I'm glad you're making this work, Shotaro." Kyoko said before moving towards the door. "I'm going to head out now. See you later."

Sho gave a nod to show he had heard her and a quiet "See you." But just as Kyoko had made it halfway down the hall she heard the LoveMe section door open and footsteps. She turned to find Sho looking conflicted.

Before Kyoko could ask what he needed, he began to speak.

"Why did you let me join LME? After everything I've done, you could've just refused and forced me to return back to my parents. You could've said you finally got your revenge. So, why?"

Kyoko glanced down. She hadn't really thought he would ask. She hadn't thought the reason would matter to him. She looked back up and met Sho's eyes.

"I almost said no. A part of me wanted to just refuse and let you have failed. But one thing stopped me."

Sho raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

Kyoko gave a small smile. "I realized you needed the LoveMe section more than I ever did. Not for your career but for you as a person," She paused as if unsure about continuing.

"I've found my happiness. I learned to get passed my hate and desire for revenge. How terrible of a person would I be if I didn't want you to have happiness too?"

Kyoko didn't expect what Sho did next. She hadn't expected her former childhood friend and rival to suddenly envelop her in a hug that years ago would've made her melt on the spot. But now it was warm and friendly, and she had a feeling they had moved past all of their previous issues.

When he released her he was blushing. "Sorry," He muttered. He scratched the back of his head before hurrying back to the LoveMe section.

Kyoko laughed to herself as she turned the corner to head to the front to meet Ren. Instead she ran straight into him. She looked up and saw that Ren was the person she had bumped into and immediately worried if he had seen the hug. But to her surprise he didn't look the least bit angry.

He smiled at her. "Ready to go home?" He asked.

Kyoko gave a confused look but nodded. _Maybe he didn't see…_

"I wasn't there to spy on you. I just came to pick you up but I stopped because I know he won't talk to you sincerely if I'm there." He explained.

"But that means you saw-"

Ren nodded. "But that's not important. I trust you. And I know you'll come to me if you do need help. Until then, I won't do anything that'll hurt you."

Kyoko felt her eyes water with happiness at his actions. _He really does trust me now._ She smiled, forcing back her tears.

As they continued walking, Kyoko began to talk. She thanked Ren for introducing her to the Producers for their new drama.

"Do you know anyone else who's been cast in it?" She asked as they climbed into the car.

Ren shook his head then paused. "Well, there are rumors of one person but nothings set in stone yet."

Kyoko nodded and Ren pulled away from the agency. Things felt like they were finally settling down in her life. She and Ren were finally happy and able to trust each other completely.

She smiled as she glanced over at Ren. It had taken a long time to pick up all the pieces of their broken lives but it seemed they had finally managed to put them all back together.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this! All that's left is the epilogue which I'll be posting in a few days along with a preview for the next section of the series! Thank you for sticking with me through it all!**


	19. Epilogue

Epilogue: A Secret Errand

Ren woke up early and turned off his alarm before it went off. He got dressed into casual clothes and stepped into the kitchen. Kyoko was still sleeping soundly in their bedroom and he was grateful that she had the day off too, otherwise she might have ruined his plans.

Without even grabbing a cup of coffee, he quickly wrote her a note before heading out the door. Ren knew he had to hurry or else she'd wonder where he went. He only hoped she wouldn't call Yashiro.

* * *

Kyoko woke up around nine o'clock and was surprised to find that Ren wasn't home. _He said he was off work today too._ She wondered as she headed to the kitchen. Seeing the kitchen too was empty she turned to go get dressed for the day. She stopped however when she noticed a paper on the counter.

Kyoko picked it up and read the neat handwriting of her boyfriend.

" _Kyoko,_

 _I got called to come into work part day. I'll be back by lunch and we can go eat. Decide where you want to go, and please try to relax. Take a bath or something. No cleaning._

 _Love,_

 _Kuon"_

She smiled as she read his note. "Maybe I will take a bath. He did buy me that special bubble bath stuff." She turned and headed to the bathroom to obey his orders.

* * *

In order to not be recognized immediately, Ren had driven out of Tokyo and had stopped at a smaller establishment. He made sure his hat and sunglasses were in place and headed into the small jewelry shop. He just hoped they'd have what he was looking for.

As he entered through the glass door a bell jingled and the woman behind the counter looked up. "Good morning, young man. How can I help you today?"

Ren tried not to blush as he spoke but his nerves were getting the better of him. "Um, I'm looking for an engagement ring."

The woman's eyes lit up and she smiled sweetly at him. "Well, why don't you tell me about who it's for?"

"She's beautiful. And the most amazing person I know." He gushed, causing the middle aged woman behind the counter to giggle.

Ren smiled. "She's my princess." He said finally.

The woman nodded and moved down the display case before unlocking it and setting three different ring cases on the counter.

"Maybe one of these would suit her." She offered.

Ren looked at the rings, then he saw one that still sat in the case below. "Can I look at that one?" He asked.

The woman looked surprised because it was one of their more expensive rings but pulled it out for him. "We've had this one for quite some time. It's a full set with a pair of wedding bands as well."

Ren carefully examined the ring. It was a white gold band with a thin line of diamonds around it. On the top of the ring sat a raised larger diamond and two medium ones sat on either side of it.

He smiled as he imagined it on her hand. "I want this one."

The woman smiled excitedly. "Perfect!"

"But I do have a special request." He added. Ren reached into his pocket and pulled out a purple blue stone that he had been carrying around since Kyoko had left it behind. "Could you cut this stone and place it into the setting on either side of the diamond? And could you add it to the wedding bands as well?"

The woman looked at it. "I take it this is special to you both?" She asked.

Ren nodded. "I think she values this more than any diamond."

The woman nodded. "I'll take care of it. Just step right over here and We'll get the paperwork sorted."

Ren watched as she stepped over to the cash register and he looked down at the engagement ring once more. _Now I just need to pray she'll say yes._

* * *

 **A/N: thank you to all my readers for sticking with me through the first four parts in my series. Be looking forward to part 5 soon. I haven't named it yet so please follow my page and you'll get an alert when I post it. Thank you again!**


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